The insanity that lay within her eyes
by Mihrimoomoo
Summary: Teyadarma' s life was not easy a myriad of abusive foster homes and pain lay in her wake. Depression and misery were one of the few constants in her life. After being kidnapped, tortured and being implanted with the ability of pure insanity, granting her unbelievable power, Teya struggles to stay sane and deal with her undeniable bond to Steve Rodgers and her new found abilities...
1. Chapter 1

The story line and most of the characters belong to me, and the Avengers and all characters associated with Marvel obviously belong to Marvel. I don't know much about the Marvel universe other than what I see in the movie adaptations of the comics, so all inaccuracies and mistakes are my fault. This chapter is short, and contains many grammatical and spelling mistakes, which I apologise for. I use Australian English so there may be some variation in spelling. Other than that I would also like to mention that any suggestions and corrections are much appreciated, and I will try to correct what I can. Thank you and I hope you enjoy.

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**Chapter 1**

There was a knock on the top floor door of Stark towers, the in which Tony Stark and his long-time girlfriend Pepper Potts resided. Tony was woken by this, immediately on alert as this floor was inaccessible to anyone other than himself, Pepper and other authorised personal-which were few in number. Quickly he got out of the bed he shared with Pepper and made towards the door.

Awaiting him was a young girl, whose beauty was refined and classical. Her dark red hair, tanned skin and big hazel eyes were among the first things that he noticed. Of course that was seconded by the realisation that a teenager was standing in the doorway of his bedroom, on an impenetrable floor. Shocked and on guard Tony quickly took a defensive stance, placing himself between the girl and his room.

"How did you get up here? This floor is supposed to be unreachable." Tony stated with an air of wonder and hostility. The girl only looked on, staring at his face as though she were attempting to memorise each of his features. Slowly he took a step towards her, leading her away from his sleeping companion. For each step he took towards her, she took one back until they were in what was essentially the living room.

After a moment, wherein Tony's temper began to rise did the girl finally speak. "My name is Teyadarma Midnight Starsovich. I am your daughter." Silence permeated the room. Tony just stared at the girl, shocked and for one of the first times completely speechless.

"My mother's name was Alexandria Starsovich. She died fifteen years ago when I was five. I was born on the twenty-fifth of August nineteen-ninety-six. I'm not here to ask for money or anything, quite frankly I don't want any of your money or any further contact with you other than your cooperation with my request." Teyadarma said, her voice dripping with barely contained anger. She continued, ignoring Tony's motionless stance.

"I want you to assemble the Avengers and meet me at the park down town, each in your respective suits- except for Mr Banner, at dusk today. I promise you no ill-will or harm. I would appreciate it if you made the call now so that I can prepare." She concluded. Waiting a moment, still with Tony not making any moves to send out a message, she added impatiently "Now, if you would be so kind."

Finally Tony broke out of his paralysis, blinking and shouted back "What?! You mean to tell me that you are my daughter, and that you want me to assemble the Avengers?! What is this, some sick joke?". Teyadarma merely looked back at him patiently. He was breathing hard and glaring at her. She sighed and reached into her pocket pulling out an envelope. She reached it out to him and he snatched it from her. Ripping it open he looked at the letter from the hospital, a paternity result stating that he was in fact the father of one Teyadarma Sartsovich.

Growling he glared back at her, throwing the letter at her feet and exclaiming "You expect me to believe this? Do you think that I would just accept this letter blindly? You probably faked it, copied it off the internet and changed it to say what you wanted!" Tony's face was slowly turning red, veins in his neck throbbing violently. In his rage he didn't realise that his shouting had woken Pepper, who had been silently standing by the bedroom door. Teyadarma appeared unfazed by his reaction. Instead she slowly turned to Pepper and greeted her. "Hello Ms Potts. Sorry to have woken you. Mr Stark and I were simply discussing an urgent matter." Turing back to Tony, who had only succeeded in becoming more enraged by her indifference, she continued. "Look Tony, I don't care if you believe me or not. Like I said after this encounter I don't want to have anything to do with you. I just need you to assemble the Avengers and have them meet me at the park. You went there when I was growing up, you never had to deal with me as a child. I just want you to do one fatherly thing for me. You owe me that much." She ended with a cold finality.

Just as he was about to respond, Pepper stepped in "Tony do it. Do what she wants." The look of bewilderment on his face was almost comical. He looked at her in disbelief and said in almost a whisper "You believe her?". Pepper stared into his eyes and said with such authority he was tempted to stand up straighter and check his clothes "It doesn't matter if I believe her or not. she obviously has something very important to do that requires your, and the Avengers help. Otherwise she wouldn't have gone through all this trouble. You are helping her."

Still in a semi state of shock he started at her a slowly nodded. That voice was rarely ever used with him, and whenever it was he knew that he had to comply otherwise the consequences would be catastrophic. Walking over to his phone he group dialed the team, who were all temporarily staying in Stark building. Relaying to them the details of the meeting he turned back to his girlfriend and supposed daughter.

"All done, we will meet you at the park at dusk." He said slowly, still reeling with anger at the girl. She nodded and turned to leave out the way she came in. turning back she said with such a tone of malice the adults in the room were momentarily startled "If you and your team are not there, I will make sure that you regret it for the rest of your lives." With those parting words she stepped into the elevator.

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	2. Chapter 2

Hello again. I just wanted you all to know that I don't own any of the Marvel characters, nor any of the actors portraying them. As a warning to you, I wanted you to know that I am not entirely happy or satisfied with this chapter. I feel as though it's lacking in something and i cannot translate how it is in my mind into paper, if that made sense? Anyway, any and all mistakes are my own and hopefully I will eventually change them when/if they come to my attention. Thanks for reading and enjoy.

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Chapter 2

Fury was mad, he was really mad. The Avengers were all standing around in the middle of the park aimlessly. "Stark, what was the meaning of calling out all out here before the sun came up?". The others, equally confused and restless looked at Tony. Just as he was about to respond a figure in white approached them, balloons and a bottle of champagne in her hand. Everyone was shocked for a moment. Not only because the woman was wearing a white figure-hugging gown but also because she was only wearing that whilst in the cold.

Levelling each of the Avengers with a stare, Teyadarma nodded and turned to Tony. "Thank you, now if you would be so kind as to follow me we can get on our way." Without looking back she began to walk towards a secluded part of the Park, close to the tree line. Startled and confused Tony began to follow her, Pepper hot on his heels. The others not knowing what was happening and curious also followed the woman.

After walking a short distance the bizarre looking group came to a stop in front of a large tree. Teyadarma put the bottle down, turned to the men and women and said "Could I please have Dr Banner in the middle please, and each of you standing on either side of him so as to create a semi-circle around the tree." it wasn't a request but an order.

The group just stared at her until Pepper grabbed Tony's hand and guided him to the right of Bruce. Slowly the others began to follow her example and fell into line. When they were all in position Teyadarma came around and handed each of them a balloon. Still confused they all grabbed one whilst shooting Tony questioning looks. He simply ignored them and watched his "daughter" stand before the tree. After a moment she began to speak. Her voice pained and empty, causing discomfort in all of the adults who proceeded to shift and fidget.

"Hey Olivia" she paused, taking a second to get her bearings, "I did what you wanted. You finally get to meet the Avengers. Dr Banner is even standing right in front of you, I know how he was always your favourite. You always said that you liked them smart, big and strong" a small chuckle escaped her. Bruce looked confused and weary about the woman who was talking at a tree. Looking around he saw the others sporting similar expressions. "I know how this was your favourite tree to sit under when you were scared or happy, you said that it always made you feel safe and important. I'm sorry that I can't do this for you over your body" she stopped, tears cascading down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry that you had to die, it should have been me. You were the one that had the future; you were the nice one, the kind one. And you had the baby and Tommy, you had a family and things were getting better for you. and even with all of the that you still loved and looked after me.' she stopped letting out a sob.

'When we were in each of the homes, you took the beatings and the pain, you sacrificed yourself and your body so that I wouldn't have to. i always thought you were so brave and strong. For every hit that bastard dished out you gave it back just as hard. You always said that you wanted to meet a superhero, that you wanted to meet someone who was truly remarkable and one of a kind, but to me you were…are, my superhero.' Another sob escaped. The Avengers stood in a somber shock, attentively listening to every word, their hearts aching for the crying woman before them.

'When I was hungry you fed me from your own plate. When I was hurt you made me better, when I was sad you made me happy again. It was always you that fixed me, you were always there from me. when Tommy came into the picture I was so scared, I acted like a real bitch because I was terrified that you wouldn't want me anymore. But you kept me with you, and you never treated me any different. I love you for that." Sobs racked through her small body, shaking her entire form.

"I tried so hard to make you proud. You made sure that I stayed in school, even visiting the principle when I got in too much trouble. I love you, I love you so much. I should have been me, it was going to be me but you did what you always do; you saved me. You put yourself in front of that gun. You took the bullet that was intended for me. God I wish that I had been faster in pushing you out of the way, maybe then I would have been shot instead of you." Teyadarma's body was unable to withstand the sobs that were crashing through her. Falling onto her knees she continued to cry and sob.

Tony's heart began to ache for the young woman, her painful cries and apparent anguish evidence enough that her claim to misery was true. Pepper, also aching for the girl shed tears of sorrow for the loss of life and innocence. Each Avenger's stance shifted ever so slightly so as to be more respectful and dignified.

"I thought that if I introduced you to the world superheros you would forgive me, for all the misery I caused you and for essentially killing you. I mightn't have pulled the trigger but it was because of me that they found you." Teyadarma paused, fisting some grass and soil, breathing heavy. Slowly looking up at the leaves of the tree she let out a cold, humourless laugh sending a chill through those present.

"I got them, Olivia, I got them good. They begged for mercy, cried out and fought but they couldn't beat me. Oh how they screamed and begged, crying for their mummies and daddies. I guess no one had told them that mummy and daddy don't give a crap…. I made sure that I bathed in their blood, just as they bathed in ours. I laughed and danced to the sound of their cries.". Another bone chilling laugh penetrated the air.

"We got our revenge Olly, I took them down." Standing up, Teyadarma dusted off her now dirt covered knees. She picked up the champagne bottle and popped the cork. Taking a swig from the bottle she began to circle the tree, her fingertips grazing the bark. "All the pain that they caused, all the screams and tears I made sure they paid for. For every drop of our blood I made sure to get it out of them" pausing to take another drink she continued.

"I got the others out. We ran through the forest for days, half of us needed to be carried away. We were so scared that they would find us again. That somehow a few had survived. We ran for so long that we crossed three states in five days." Teyadarma took another drink. She stopped and looked up to the sky and said in a whisper "I would trade all of their lives for yours. If it meant getting you back then I would have given all of theirs in exchange for yours."

Hawkeye and Natasha took a step closer. They hadn't admitted to their feeling for each other but their relationship had progressed so as to become more intimate. Pepper held Tony's hand tighter. Despite her peppy appearance she understood pain; she understood the helplessness that overcame a person as they tried to deal with the loss of someone they loved and held dear.

Steve watched the woman in her long sleeved white gown, her back exposed to the harsh weather. He studied her eyes, their depth and colour. The pools of never ending green surrounded in thick lashes and her dark red hair, which at certain angles looked like blood rippling through the air with the wind. He could not comprehend how someone so young and beautiful could ever be subjected to such pain and suffering. To his confusion and frustration he felt his anger rise at the prospect of anyone touching this woman in any manner that was not respectful and loving. The thought that someone had hurt her, had touched her made him want to rip them to shreds. Clenching his fists he shifted angrily. Bruce noticing his twitching fists and agitated stance shot him a sideways glance. Steve ignored him and kept his eyes on the stunning woman before him.

Teyadarma, not halfway through the bottle leant against the tree. Tears falling from her glazed over eyes streaked down her face. "There's a part of me that hates you, you know. A part of me that will always resent you for leaving me behind, and I hate myself for it. I hate myself for ever thinking that you didn't love me enough to take me with you" sobbing she stopped.

Pushing off the tree she moved so that she was standing in front of the tree again. Putting the near empty bottle on the ground once more she bent down, her hand reaching down the end of her dress. Pulling out a hunters knife, startling everyone and putting them all on guard. The blade still clutched in her hand Teyadarma spoke the words that almost broke Steve's heart. "I tried to kill myself; overdosed, slit my wrists, tried to jump off a building. Everything that I did wouldn't work obviously. I hated myself for not even being able to end it properly… You were there for me all the time, and the one time that you needed me I wasn't able to save you."

A long pause ensued, Steve's thoughts riddled with notions of killing anyone who laid a hand on his Teya. His Teya? The thought that she was his girl warmed him, the idea that she would be by his side throughout the remainder of his life made the possibility of living in the twenty-first century more appealing. Yet the origins of his thoughts, his desire to claim her as his partner baffled him. He didn't understand why he would want to possess, and be possessed by someone that he didn't know.

Teyadarma had remained silent for so long that Natasha was about to call out to her, however she was stopped by the shaking of Teyadarma's head, almost as though she was shaking herself back into the present. Nodding to herself Teyadarma continued. "There's a program that I'm going to attend, to help me finish school. Maybe it can help me get into university? I'm going to do all the things we promised each other. I want to be a teacher, work with kids…. I'm going to have a family, you'll see. A nice husband and as many kids as I can possibly have. We'll be foster parents, give the others a chance at a normal life that we never got.

I'm going to live my life, as much of it as I can. I'm never going to be completely sane or normal, too much has happened for that to ever be possible. But I figured that since I can't die, I might as well live. I'll make you proud; I'll earn your pride I swear. You always used to say that if I could change even one life, make it better in some way then I had accomplished something great in my life. That it was these acts that constituted to greatness.

You were the greatest person that I know, it was a privilege to have met you and an honour to have been loved by you. You made me feel so important, even when everything was going wrong you made me feel secure. Everything you did, you made my life better…The greatest person that I knew deserves to be saluted by some of the greatest people in the world."

With that she dragged the knife across her palm and spread the blood across the tree, forever marking it with a part of herself. Leaning her head against the bark she whispered "We are blood, sisters for live and family till the end".

Tony, having heard the private words, was floored. The whole ceremony was completely foreign to him, yet touched him in a way that he had never experienced before. The words resinated with him, moving him and instilling within him a desire to believe the woman before him. Teyadarma continued to cry against the tree, her bloody hand still resting against the bark. Her cries, now whimpers, each a dagger piercing Steve's heart.

Teyadarma, again coming to herself pushed herself off the tree and turned to the Avengers, still holding onto the balloons. With a shaking voice she slowly began to talk to them. "Can you all please let go of the balloons now... I'm ready to let you go now Olivia", the last part said looking back at the tree.

Bruce was the first the release his balloon, others soon following. Steve let go of his balloon, his eyes never leaving Teyadarma. Hawkeye observed the possessive and dangerous look in Steve's eyes. Confused he looked back at the woman in white. He was moved by her words, they were simple yet effective. He respected her for her bluntness, thus respecting her deceased friend also. The deductions he made indicted to him a level of affection that mirrored the familial connection between mother and child. This Olivia woman fitting more the roll of mother, caring for Teyadarma in a manner that she was not given whilst in the system. Yet despite the apparent nobility of the woman he could not understand the basis of Steve's affection and attachment for the woman. He didn't think that they had any previous interaction as there was no recognition on Steve's part.

Immune to all the thoughts of those around her, Teyadarma was numb to everything. She felt hollow, purposeless in life. Despite her claim to get on with her life, to have a career and a family she wasn't able to think of any possible future for herself. How could she, every envisioned future had always been of her and her sister together.

Steve was still watching her when she began to sway. Jumping into action he caught her just as she was about to hit the floor. Holding her to his body, feeling the warmth of her body against his he knew then that he needed to protect this girl, be in her life somehow. Lifting her up, the others swarming around them his need to keep her to himself grew, the thought of sharing her with someone a punch to his gut. These feelings and thoughts completely foreign to him, his confusion rising more and more.

Tony, feeling somewhat paternal stared at the unconscious girl in Steve's arms, her lifeless body shocking him in a way he had never before thought conceivable. If this was his daughter, his little girl, then he had failed her; failed her in a way that was unforgivable. Seeing the confused and possessive gleam in Steve's eyes, Tony sprang into action trying to make his way towards Teyadarma. As he neared he was shocked by the defensive and hostile manner in which Steve withheld her from his arms. The normally mild mannered, polite man transforming before his eyes into a hunter, ready to attack his prey at a moment's notice.

Taking a step back, both men shocked by Steve's actions, Tony cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Do you mind taking her back to the tower? And Bruce could you take a look at her, see what' wrong with her?" the last part of the sentence directed at Bruce who was staring at Steve. With a nod of his head the Avengers made their way back to their tower.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again. I just wanted to say that this chapter is a bit long, and that it preludes to many things that will later be explained so bare with me. Also I just wanted to add that I am updating relatively regularly at the moment because I am on break (I'm waiting for university to start). Once it does start the time between updates will get longer. I apologize from now. I just want to mention that the things mentioned in this chapter (and story) are things I feel strongly about. I either know of, know people who have gone through the things mentioned, or gone through them myself. My intention isn't to offend anyone, and if I do I am sorry, it wasn't intentional.

Okay, now that has been said, lets get to the usual. Unfortunately I don't own anything from Marvel. It's a shame but still, such is life. The mistakes and spelling errors are all mine, I will eventually get to them (hopefully) when I have the time. Hope you enjoy, and please review. Thanks.

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Chapter 3

Bruce was utterly confounded by the results displayed across the screen, the reading that he had redone multiple times completely contradictory. Teyadarma's results, blood work and scans all indicated intense malnourishment, abuse and neglect yet her body was perfectly fine. Her internal organs appeared to be perfectly healthy despite the unmistakable traces of tissue scaring indicating severe trauma. Her body was strong yet utterly weak at the same time; it was astounding and frightening.

Her blood indicated super human traits and abilities yet her body demonstrated no signs of abnormal capabilities. It was completely new for Bruce and he didn't know what to make of his findings. Just was he was about to run further tests, Natasha burst through the doors. "She's waking up Bruce!" was all she said before running back down the hall.

Bruce jumped up and ran upstairs, he could hear faint calls and screams the closer he got towards his patient. Bursting through the doors he saw Fury, Clint and Natasha holding back Steve whilst Tony tried to hold down a hysterical and withering Teyadarma. Shocked at the sight of chaos before him, Bruce stood frozen for a moment.

Teyadarma's screams and cries increased in volume, her fear mounting. With each pained, shrill scream that came from her thrashing body Steve's blood began to boil, his need to inflict pain on those that had caused her pain rising tenfold. His fury blinding him as his friends tried holding him back from ripping Tony away from his Teya.

Eventually coming out of his shocked stupor Bruce sprang into action and tried to administer a calming drug to Teyadarma's arm. As he neared her with the needle, her screams became louder, her body thrashing around more and more in an attempt to get away from her perceived attacker.

"NO! No, no… I don't want it! Please, I'll be good I swear! Please I don't want this, let me go! Let. Me. Go!" Teyadarma screeched as she withered more and more on the bed, Tony struggling to hold her down.

All of a sudden Teya became still, her body lying limp on the bed. Startled Tony didn't know what to do for a moment, his hands faltering in restraining his daughter. The only sound in the room coming from Steve, who was struggling harder against the arms holding back. His panicked cries slicing through the shocked silence in the room.

Tony's moment of uncertainty and hesitation was capitalised as Teyadarma sprung to life, punching Tony in the stomach and forcing him to double over in pain. He felt a searing pain in his scalp as Teya pulled his head back by his hair, her free hand coming to wrap around his throat, chocking the air out of his body.

The others were rushing to action, getting ready to fight off this mysterious girl who was currently trying to strangle her, albeit absent, father. Natasha pulled out her gun, pointing it at Teyadarma's head, ready to take the fatal shot if necessary when it she was pushed aside by Steve. The shock of her friend, who was always so respectful and sweet touching her in a manner that was intended to hurt was astounding to her. She had never seen Steve act in such a manner, never had he even spoken cruelly to her. Looking at his face she notice that there was a hard edge to it, his eyes shining with possessiveness and rage, and amidst this she saw a twinge of regret.

Steve having pushed Nat out of the way rushed towards Teya, who was now holding a blue faced Tony. As he neared he looked closely at the woman who had captured his attention and affection, he observed that there was a hard look of hate covering her features. Her beautiful face contorting to accommodate the ugly emotion, yet upon closer inspection he noticed that there was fear in her eyes. A fear so ingrained and strong that she was blinded by what was happening around her, her mind consumed by the need to protect herself.

"Teyadarma look at me!" Steve yelled, momentarily stunning all those around him. Teya looked up briefly then back down at a near unconscious Tony. "Teya! Look at me, I won't hurt you. Let Tony go, you're going to kill him".

With tears in her eyes, she looked at Steve who was edging closer and closer. "He is going to hurt me, that's what they do! All daddies hurt me, always have, always will!" she screamed, her voice shrill. Steve's heart broke for the misery and pain that she must have endured.

"Let Tony go, he won't hurt you. Give him to me and I'll make sure that he doesn't come near you again. Just let him go" he tried negotiating as he moved closer, one hand spread out towards Tony. Teya looked between Steve's outstretched hand and her father, her eyes flickering towards Bruce who was still holding the syringe. Steve's eyes followed her as she did and he quickly signalled for Bruce to back away. Doing as instructed, Dr Banner stuffed the needle into his coat pocket.

Relaxing some Teya loosened her grip on Tony's neck, then staring into Steve's blue eyes she shoved him towards the others causing him to crash into Fury gasping for breath. Curling up into a ball she began to rock back and forth, the tears she tried to hold at bay streaming down her cheeks. The Avengers were still on edge, ready to protect themselves and each other should Teyadarma decide to attack again.

Steve continued to move closer to Teya, who was compulsively rocking back and forth, her arms wrapped securely around her torso as she mumbled softly to herself. His hands out before him, Steve tried to reassure the clearly broken and frightened woman in front of him. "Teyadarma its okay, you are safe. No one is going to hurt you, okay? Everyone here is trying to help you. Don't be scared". His words causing her to look up, eyes glistening and her voice small like a child's. "Then why was he on top of me? Why was he trying to hold me down if he didn't want to hurt me?"

The implications of her words struck Steve like a bullet to his heart, the reasons for her reaction becoming clearer. With his hands in fists and his voice thick Steve came to stand right before Teya, her eyes boring into his. He knew that her question wasn't specific to Tony; she was begging him to explain all the pain others had inflicted onto her, all the pain that others had made her own and seared into her skin making it a part of her very person.

Words failed him at that moment, his mind unable to come up with anything to say that would ease her suffering, or that others hadn't been parroting to her for years. Acting on instinct he gathered her in his arms, the physical contact the only thing that could offer her comfort when he knew that nothing he said would. She stiffened, unsure and unused to the feel of someone holding her, but after a seemingly never ending moment for Steve, her arms snaked around his stomach. She clutched onto his so desperately, trying to absorb as much of the care and sense of safety that he emitted.

They held each other, each familiarising themselves with the feel of the other. Teya having spent so much time alone had forgotten what it felt like to have someone holding her, of feeling loved and cared for. The only other person who had afforded her such comfort was Olivia. Steve, despite his initial thoughts of offering her support was also gaining a sense of safety from her embrace. It had been so long since he felt someone holding him so closely, since someone had made him feel secure and at ease. Waking up in the 'future'; the war he had essentially been created for over, technological devices surpassing all of his wildest expectations, and information readily accessible at the press of a few keys was overwhelming. He felt lost in a world that he didn't understand, and the feeling of security that being in the arms of this beautiful woman provided was something he desperately craved.

Tony, who was able to breath somewhat properly again was torn between wanting to cry, destroy all those who had hurt his little girl and make them suffer for daring to touch an innocent; and ripping Steve away from his daughter. Putting it simply he was jealous; jealous that he wasn't able to comfort his own child and someone else was able to give her what he should have been able to. The seed of self-loathing over the fact that he hadn't been there to protect his child grew with each passing moment that he saw her cry. The knowledge that he had been partying, drinking and not caring about anyone but himself whilst she had been going through something that no child should ever have to endure cut through him like a molten blade.

Bruce looked at his friend and patient, their connection to one another confounding yet beautiful. He couldn't understand how Steve could take such an instantaneous liking to someone; how from the moment he saw her he could become so attached and consumed by her. The moment they had arrived at Stark tower Steve had placed her him his room, shocking them all. Despite his welcoming personality Steve was rather private, disliking when anyone came into his room. His body language changing indicating his discomfort and nervousness, thus all the Avengers had taken to staying away from his room altogether. He placed her down on his bed, looked at Bruce and the others and ordered that she was not to be moved from his room.

The week that she had been unconscious he had barely moved from his seat next to, what eventually became her bed. Whenever Bruce needed to check on her, collect DNA samples or change her IV, he had to do so with Steve's eyes watching him like a hawk. Never had he seen his mild mannered friend so protective or vigilant, his demeanour changing every time she let out a pained moan.

Natasha observed the couple, saw their tight embrace and she knew that they had something extraordinary. Their bond deeper than anything she had ever seen. It was obvious that they gained strength from each other, they complemented one another. She knew that whatever it was that they had, it was deadly and dangerous; it would either make them stronger, or destroy them. She prayed, for the sake of her friend and the tortured young woman that it would be for their benefit.

Oblivious to the musings of those around them, Steve and Teya clutched each other tightly. Steve moved his head to rest on top of hers, Teya nestling into his neck. "Please don't let them get me" she whispered. "Please don't let them hurt me….don't leave me alone" she added, her tone crushing Steve's heart. He pulled her in closer, her hand resting above his heart, "I won't let them near you, I won't leave you" he whispered back.

Eventually her tears stopped falling, but his embrace was so warm and soothing that she stayed as she was. The others eventually moving out of the room in order to give them some privacy. Tony and Bruce were the last in the room, each wanting to check over Teyadarma, know if she was at the least physically okay. When they took a step closer, her eyes snapped to them, fear taking over her body. Steve noticing the change in her body language turned to the two, ready to keep them away if need be.

"Stay away from me" Teya stated, her voice carrying traces of anger and fear, her eyes lingering on Tony. It hurt that he frightened her, that his presence caused her so much distress. Tony looking at Steve and Bruce cleared his still raw throat and said, voice gravely and sad "I'll just wait outside then. Let me know if there's anything you need". With that he made his retreat from the room.

Bruce sent Steve a look asking him to calm Teyadarma so he could look over her. Steve having understood turned back to Teya and said softly "Dr Banner has been looking after you so far. He just wants to make sure that you're healthy". Looking at Bruce, her arms tightened around Steve she slowly nodded her head, softly adding "Don't go, don't leave me alone with him".

Gently caressing her hair, Steve shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere" he said sternly, leaving no room for doubt to creep into Teya's mind. Bruce came closer and began his assessment. From the moment he made physical contact to the moment he took a step back, Teyadarma hadn't relaxed nor had she stopped glaring at Bruce. The discomfort and suspicion she felt soon suffocating the room.

"You seem to be fine, everything seems to be in order. You were unconscious for a long time, so your body will most likely feel fatigued and lethargic. You're going to want to sleep more often, but you have to try and re-establish your normal sleeping pattern. Do some exercise; eat right and try to take it easy" Dr Banner finished. The desire to ask for permission to run tests on her mounting, yet seeing her reaction to his mere presence at the moment, he didn't doubt for a second that she would chew off his arms if he were to ask.

"Get out, you're finished" the cold execution of the words making both men go still. Looking between Steve and Teyadarma, Bruce awkwardly made an exit. Steve was slightly hurt by Teya's actions, her dismissive and rude attitude towards Bruce startling him. Yet he couldn't deny the relief that was evident in her manner when the door closed behind his friend.

"Bruce won't hurt you know, he's completely peaceful and harmless when he is himself" Steve said, attempting to gently reprimand Teya's rude and hostile treatment of his friend. She turned to him sharply, hurt swimming beneath the pain in her eyes, "He's a scientist; all they ever do is hurt people. Scientists were the ones to make me this way; they stuck needles into me and Olivia. They were the ones that forced Olivia's miscarriage, all so that they could run tests on us. So don't you dare try and tell me that they won't hurt me. Because that's all that they do".

Steve didn't know what to say, the fury that had diminished some whilst holding her was back. He wanted to kill, wanted the blood of those that had hurt his girl. He knew that she wasn't his girl, but the need to protect her and his attraction to her made him incapable of even contemplating the idea that she wasn't his and didn't want him. Knowing that nothing he said would change her perceptions, he just held her closer and whispered that she was now safe; he would ever allow anything to hurt her.

Unbeknown to the couple locked in each other's embrace, the rest of the Avengers were staring at the T.V screen playing them a live recording of all that was going on in Steve's room. Teyadarma's words causing the group to feel ill. Something had happened to her, something so deeply evil and inhumane it made each of them hungry for the blood of the monsters that had committed such atrocities.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello

I'm sorry that its been so long, uni started and I've been swamped with assignments and homework. Also, I've been really focusing on my other story on Wattpad, Lost and Found (by Minixxxx). It's a Tom Hiddleston fanfic. I mean come on, who doesn't love a tall, handsome, British gentleman? You know the usual drill, unfortunately I don't own anything. This is a long one and I couldn't be bothered to properly read over it (it's almost 1am in Australia at the moment), but hopefully I will go back to edit later. Anyway, I don't own anything so enjoy.

Chapter 4

Teyadarma woke up in an unfamiliar room, disorientated and tired. She looked to her left to see Steve asleep in a chair, his hand out stretched towards her own. She continued to stare at him, taking in his handsome features and large frame. His eyelids fluttered as he slowly began to regain consciousness. Once fully awake Steve peered at Teya, taking in her tousled hair, tired face and puffy eyes from sleep; she had never looked as beautiful.

Smiling he made to get up, anxious to establish some form of physical contact with her, however her demeanour changed drastically. Withdrawing into herself she tried to maintain the distance between herself and Steve, despite her desperation to be closer to him. Saddened by her cold behaviour, Steve slowed his movements, trying to indicate to her that he wasn't a threat. "Its okay, I wont hurt you. You're safe with me" he said, his body language non-threatening.

Teyadarma stared at him, analysing him in order to determine whether not he was going to hurt her. Sensing no immanent danger she relaxed her stance slightly. A yearning blossomed within her, deep within parts of herself that she had long forgotten; a yearning to be near him, to be within his embrace, to be consumed by him and in turn consume him. The intensity of the emotions frightened and thrilled her as it had been a long time since she had felt anything.

Steve saw the shift in her stance, the drop of her shoulders, the slight slouch of her spine. Slowly, like he was approaching a caged wolf he began to near her. She remained still, the need to be connected to him growing. When he was a foot from her, she couldn't stop herself from reaching out to him.

Smiling Steve clasped his hand with her out stretched one, relieved that she was initiating some contact between them. Slowly Teyadarma began to stand, wanting to use her limbs after so long asleep. Steve's steady hand was the only thing that was keeping her upright. After a few moments of collecting herself, Teya began to walk around the room inspecting her surroundings. "Why am I here?" she said after a lapse of silence. Looking back at him, she saw the evident confusion colouring his features. "Why am I here, in Stark tower? I assume that's where am, right?".

"Tony said to take you back here after you collapsed in the park. I wanted you to stay here so that Bruce could treat you, help you get better. This is my room by the way, you've been staying here since you came". Nodding Teya continued to look around. Steve couldn't help but admire her form. Clad in his T-shirt and boxers, hair tussled and messy from sleep, she looked enchanting. She was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Yet his attraction ran deeper than appearances.

There was a strength within her that appealed to him, a strength forged from pain that he could relate to and understand. He knew, despite not having spoken with her, that she had fought. Fought for her sanity, fought for her life, fought for her freedom. The affinity he felt for her was the tip of an iceberg he didn't understand. He felt so strongly for her, wanted to be near her at all times and protect her. He wanted to possess her and be possessed by her, the desire to belong so completely to someone frightening him slightly.

"Thank you". Brought back from his thoughts, Steve's eyes snapped back to her. She was examining a photo of Bucky and himself. It had been taken the night before their last mission, the one that had cost him the life of his best friend, his brother. "It was nothing" came his response.

Her eyes snapped to his, the emotions swimming in her beautiful hazel eyes startling him. "It wasn't nothing. I was at your mercy and you treated me with respect. You protected me and helped me. For that alone I can not even begin to thank you".

Smiling back, unable to respond Steve reached out his hand. With only a slight hesitation Teya took his hand. Bringing her closer to him so that his arms loosely wrapped around her as he tried to organise his thoughts.

Teyadarma was basking him his warmth. He had always shied away from people, never liking it when they initiated physical contact. But with Steve, as crazy as it seemed, she felt safe. His arms didn't feel caging or restrictive as so many others did. His body heat wasn't oppressive or burning but comforting. His actions didn't feel forced or false, instead they felt liberating. It was almost as though being here in this very moment, with his presence gradually seeping into her own, was enough to heal the broken parts of her soul. Almost like he was stitching her back together.

Looking down at her Steve felt at peace. So often the rush of the modern world, the consuming noise and fast pace of those around him left him feeling disorientated. Leaning down he placed a brief kiss to the top of her head and tightened his arms marginally as he didn't want to scare her.

Neither of them knew nor cared how much time had passed not wanting to break apart. It was only when Teyadarma's stomach growled that they decided that that should part. With a small blush Teya looked sheepishly at Steve. Smiling down at her Steve grabbed her hand and began leading her out towards the kitchen, however he was stopped when he felt resistance.

Turning back he looked questioningly at Teya. "I can't go out there" she said simply. "Why, we're just going to get something to eat" he replied, perplexed. Looking imploringly at him, she tried to explain. "I can't go out there and eat Tony's food. It's bad enough that I stayed in this building and had him have people look at me. I don't want, no I won't give him more ammunition to throw at me. I refuse to be in his debt".

Steve was shocked still. He knew how Tony had been whilst Teya was unconscious, the man barely slept or ate. He spent most of his time trying to help heal her and track down her former carers. In another room, a floor above Tony and Pepper sat watching what was happening. Tony felt gutted, a deep sense of failure and shame growing within him. Pepper grabbed his hand, trying to give him some measure of comfort.

Blinking, Steve tried to understand what Teya had just said to him. "Why do you say that? Tony would want you to eat, and he wouldn't hold you indebted to him for caring for you". "What do you mean he wouldn't mind caring for me? Everyone does things expecting something back. If I eat his food, or accept anymore help from him then who knows what he'll expect in return" Teya said, confused as to how he didn't understand. No one ever did anything because of the goodness of their hearts. Not once had anyone ever been kind to her whilst not expecting some kind of favour in return.

Realisation dawned on Tony and Steve. The concept of kindness and humanity were not things she was exposed to. "The poor girl. No one has ever done anything nice for her" Pepper said, shocked. The ominous nature of Teyadarma's implication of what Tony could want in return hit both men like a punch in the face. Disgust and rage were quickly becoming a common emotion when aspects, or more specifically the people Teyadarma was exposed to were revealed.

No one had ever cared for her. No one had fed her, loved her or simply treated her nicely without trying to get something back. And the knowledge that someone had hurt Teya in a manner that was deeply scaring and evil provided an insight into the kind of responses that were expected of Teya. The bastards wanted some kind of sexual favour from Teya for simply feeding her.

This understanding nearly pushed Steve over the edge. His breathing quickened, fists clenched and eyes began to twitch. It was taking all he had in him to not do something rash and either scare, or god forbid hurt Teya with his actions. His new found bloodlust was incited, clawing within him like a beast for the blood and screams of those who had dared touch what was his; what was innocent and pure, tainting and scaring it.

Teya was on guard observing Steve whilst tying to find a way out of the room. She was assessing him to see what his weaknesses were, and find a way to exploit them to ensure that she didn't get hurt. Yet, even while doing this she knew that it was almost unnecessary. She knew that he wouldn't hurt her, not purposefully at least.

Apprehensively she took a few steps closer to him, placing her hand on his arm. His eyes snapped to hers, pupils narrowed. "It's okay. Calm down, it's okay" she said soothingly. His eyes narrowed further, his hands shaking. "How is it okay? How is what they did to you, in any way, okay?" Steve replied, voice brimming with barely suppressed rage. Staring at his controlled features Teya placed her hand on his cheek. He tilted his head into her palm, her touch calming him slightly. "I know it's not okay, but I know that I'm safe here with you. I know that you won't hurt me, or let anyone else hurt me. I trust you".

The impact of her softly spoken words resinated deep within him. Her open eyes, bright and innocent drew him in. The upturn of her lips made his heart flare, made him want to kiss her and make her his. He didn't know where these thoughts were coming from, nor what they meant, and put simply they terrified him. But all he knew, and all he needed to know was that he felt strongly for her and that all of his instincts were telling him to run with it.

Leaning his head down he brought a finger under her chin to tilt hers up. They were a hairs-breathe from each other, all that he wanted to do was press his lips onto hers. Her eyes were wide, breath short and shallow. All she could think of was his smell, the feel of his body where they touched, the look of pure lust and...affection in his eyes. Everything in her was telling her to lean in and do what they both so desperately wanted. Just when she was about to move, the door burst open.

Both snapped their attention to the intruder. Steve running mostly off instinct hid Teyadarma behind his body, his hand grabbing hers to make sure that she would be with him if the situation turned hostile.

Bruce took in Steve's near murderous look and put his hands up, trying to convey that he meant no harm and wasn't a threat. Steve relaxed some, but continued to stand in front of Teya. "I was just coming in to check on Teyadarma, make sure that she didn't have any residual effects that we didn't pick up before" Bruce said, voice slightly shaky. Teya came out from behind Steve to glare at Bruce, furthering his discomfort.

"I am fine. You don't need to worry yourself"she said, trying to sound polite so as not to upset Steve again. She didn't know why his happiness meant so much to her, but she wasn't going to question it. After all, her instincts had never led her wrong before.

"We were just going to go out for some food. Teya is a little hungry" Steve said, subtly trying to get Bruce to leave. Taking the hint and not missing the fact that Steve had used a nickname for Teyadarma, he turned and walked away.

Grabbing her hand Steve led Teya out of the room and into the kitchen where he sat her down as he busied himself with making her some food. She continued to watch him as he moved around, her affection growing each time he placed piece of food on her plate that apparently would "make her stronger and healthier".

Unbeknownst to them both, Tony, Pepper and Nick were watching their exchanges. Nick couldn't help but wonder what was going on with that girl. He knew that she was dangerous, dangerous to the degree that usually he would have the Avengers try and take her out. The reports he found made his skin crawl. What had happened to her, and what she had done made his distrust and respect for her rise in equal measures.

"I want her analysed. I want to know what she can do, and I want to see it" he said, intending for Tony to follow his orders. "You are not going to see anything, because she will not be used in some game of yours. She is my daughter, and even though I haven't been able to protect her in the past, I'm going to do it now" Tony said, furious that he would even suggest conducting tests on her.

"That's not your call Stark. She is a threat, even if you don't see it. We need to know what she's capable of!"Nick responded.

"Tony! The building has been breached!" Pepper shouted, watching as men moved in on Steve and Teyadarma.

Steve had grabbed Teya the moment he saw the men. Teya wasn't phased, looking at all of them with a bored expression. Smiling when she realised who they were, she laughed. Steve confused, and worried looked over at her before looking back at the enclosing men. "Want to share whats so funny?" he said. "My, my, my. He really though that he could get his hands on me. Please, this isn't even trying" she said, a feral smile gracing her features.

Letting go of Steve's hand she neared the men. Looking on in the eyes she lifted her hand. The man dropped to the floor, screaming. The others jumped into action, running at her. Steve was fighting them off, trying to protect Teya. His rage and a need to ensure her safety blinding him.

Just as he was about to knock a man out, all the men stopped and dropped to the floor, screaming and withering about. Startled Steve looked back at Teya, whose eyes were black and who was laughing.

Eventually the floor was covered in red, the blood seeping out of the men from their eyes, ears, mouths and stomachs. Shocked he looked over at Teya who seemed to be looking into nothing, her arms raised halfway up her waist. Slowly he took a few steps towards her, watching her intenly.

"Teya, Teya stop. Look at me…stop"

She sharply turned her face to look at his, black eyes dimming slightly. She could feel herself coming back. Whatever was possessing her was seeping back into the recesses of her mind. Her eyes began to fade back to their original colour. Slowly she lowered her hands.

Steve saw her coming back to herself, saw her becoming Teya again. When the black had completely faded, she started to sway. Reaching out for her quickly, she flinched when he touched her. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened" she said, looking imploringly into his eyes. Nodding Steve collected her in his arms and ran them out of the room. He didn't know what just happened, or what she could do but he knew that he needed to get her out of here.

As he neared the elevators the doors opened, revealing a smirking Nick and shocked Tony and Pepper. It clicked into place.

Snarling Steve was ready to attack Fury, his blood lust rising. Pepper rushed to Teya, desperately trying to see if she was okay. As she neared Steve turned his attention to her. She stopped in her tracks, scared that he might hurt her.

"I just want to see if she's okay. I already called Bruce, he's on his way up" she rushed out, trying to ease his worry. Looking at her for a moment he allowed her near his Teya, wanting to make sure she was okay. He panting and blank expression worried him. She had been limp in his arm as he had carried her to the doors. Placing her on the sofa, he tuned his attention back to Nick who was sporting a red jaw.

Confused he looked at Tony who was furious and scanning the room. "You sent those men, why?" he said to Nick. Brushing him off, Nick looked past him to the fallen men. They were all still breathing, but most were unconscious. "I don't have to explain myself to you" he said dismissively.

Before he knew what was happening, Steve had slammed him back into the wall. The tiles behind his head cracked. "Why did you send those men to attack us? To attack my Teya!" Steve ground out, his forearm pressed against Nicks neck. Knowing that he wasn't himself, Nick replied.

"I needed to know what she was and what she can do. She's a threat". Steve slammed him into the wall again, causing blood to spot the broken tiles. "She is no threat. You just want someone else to play with"

As much as Tony was enjoying seeing the bastard being put into place, he knew that he needed to stop Steve from killing him. Grabbing his arm, Tony looked tried to intervene. "As much as I want to see you beat the shit out of him, and believe me I do. You need to stop, Teya needs you right now and killing him isn't going to get you anywhere".

Looking into his eyes Tony weighed his options: kill or at least maim Fury or help Teya? He knew which he was going to do, but the thought of hurting Fury in a manner similar to how he had hurt Teya was appealing. Taking a deep breath Steve let go of Fury and made his way over to an almost catatonic Teya.

Getting down on his knees he tried to comfort her, but it seemed to be in vain. Seeing that she was shaking he collected her in his arms, her suffering bringing him pain. He rocked her back and forth a few times but it wasn't helping.

Tony watched on in horror as his daughter sat in shock in Steve's lap. It broke his heart to see her in so much pain. He sat the way that Steve desperately tried to stop the shaking, and in that moment he knew. He knew that despite only just meeting that they cared for each other in a manner that was beyond reason and understanding. That no matter what, Steve would always look out for her.

"Teya, Teya look at me. You have to look at me, it's going to be okay. Just look at me" Steve said in an attempt at bringing her back into the present. He moved her so that she was facing him and pressed her hand over his heart. Whenever he was scared, his mother would press his hand over her heart and the beating would bring him some comfort.

His hand over hers he tried again. "Teya please, talk to me. Just look at me". A few moments later her shaking began to decrease, her eyes began to refocus. Looking like she was coming out of a daze, Teya started to talk. "Steve? Steve what happened?"

The desperation and innocence in her voice hit him like a blow to the head. Staring into her eyes he pressed his forehead against hers, releaved that she was responding.

Her big eyes imploring him, she begged. "Steve, what's happening to me?"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Well hello everyone. Sorry for not updating in such a long time, I was really busy with uni, work and life in general. This isn't the longest or meatiest of chapters, more a filler chapter. Nonetheless, I hope that I will be updating regularly now that I'm finally on holidays. Hope you all enjoy and please leave a review.

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"No, not happening" ground out Steve, his anger rising. He couldn't believe that they would be suggesting this, had her suffering not been enough? "Tony has the technology ready, all she needs to do is enter the compartment" came Fury's reply. Steve was near homicidal, he would not allow Teya to be put into this torture, no matter the justification.

"Look, I understand that you may not perceive reality in just the same manner as everyone else, but putting her in there will only hurt her. What you are asking us, me, to do is torture her! There is a reason that people try to forget things, bad things. No good will come of this!" Steve declared, livid. He knew that Fury was single minded, often that was a trait he admired. However, it was also his downfall; he would become fixated, hurting others in the process.

Feeling that this would be a lost cause, Steve readied himself to leave. He would be moving out soon, into an apartment that was more suited to his taste. Essentially, something that wasn't so "high-tech" and intimidating. Despite his frozen aging, Steve was still a ninety year old man, a soldier from the fourties trapped in the twenty-first century. He just wanted some simplicities from his own time, a toaster that he wasn't scared to use, a T.V that he could actually try to figure out.

Just as he was leaving, Fury spoke. "It won't matter if you agree or not. She will tell us what she knows, what she is. That is inescapable". Steve's barely contained anger snapped. He was usually a calm man, rational and disliked conflict, but when it came to Teya there was nothing that could stop him. He would protect her from anything and anyone.

With tramendus force he slammed Fury into the wall behind him, momentarily knocking the wind out of the director. "Listen, and listen good. You will not touch her, if you do then I will make sure that not a single one of your agents survive. You will leave her alone or the task force you assembled will be used to hunt you donw. Understand?". Steve was seething, his vision coloured red as a blood lust he kept hidden was revived. He wanted Fury's head for even daring to suggest that he would hurt her like that. "Understood Captian Rogers" Fury replied. Steve glared into his eyes for a moment longer before stepping back and letting him fall.

Near shaking with fury Steve stalked his way out of the room. Going down to towards Teya's room he was desperately trying to figure out how to convince Teya to come stay with him. He knew in the pit of his stomach that he Fury wouldn't stop, that he would keep pursuing her until he got what he wanted.

As he reached the floor Teya was resting in hw walked into complete chaos. Freezing with shock, he looked around bewildered. Everything was trashed. The T.V broken; the table upturned and a few of the legs broken, nearly everything in the room was broken or damged. In the center of it all was Teya, crouched down and rocking back and forth. Steve noted that Tony and Bruce were in the corner of the room staring at her, shock, fear and pity colouring their faces.

Steve slowly made his way towards her, trying to not scare her. When she was only a few steps from him he crouched down next to her. Placing his hand softly on her back he watched her stiffen. Looking up at him with terror in her eyes she trembled beneath his hand. "Oh darlin" he breathed out. She looked up at him and with a shaky breath whispered over and over for him to not let them take her.

"Steve please, don't let them take me. Don't let them take me, don't let them take me. You promised, don't let them take me". Steve's heart broke even more at her almost resigned chant. It was as though she had accepted that he would let whoever it was that had hurt her inflict pain on her once more. Her chanting was almost a secondary thought, almost as though she was just saying these things so that she could say that she had asked for help.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulders and one under her knees, he gentley lifted her up off the floor. "Tony, I need you to send over the rest of my things to my apartment. I'm going to take Teya to her room".

Tony looked at him then nodded. Steve made his way towards his room, gentle whisperning to Teya that everything would be alright. Laying her on the bed he tried to move away, tryring to think of a way to approach the topic of her leaving with him when she clutched his hand, pulling him to her. "Don't leave, please don't leave" she begged. Her eyes bore into his in a way that pulled at his heart, the fear and vulnerability was evident.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," he began, fumbling for words. "I'm moving into my own apartment, somewhere that isn't so high-tech… and I was wondering if you would like to come…move in…with me? It has two bedroooms so you'll have your own room. I'll be away most of the time so it will be left to you mostly" he rambled. Feeling nervous he stopped talking, looking down. His eyes shot open when she pulled her hand from his, confusion blossomed as he didn't know what had motivated it.

The look of hope clouded by fear illuminated her eyes. "You…you wouldn't expect me to do anything would you? I wouldn't have to…pay you in a specific way, would I?" she asked. She regretted the words almost as soon as she spoke them, yet they needed to be asked. She didn't want to be blindsided, nor did we want to have to resort to cheap tricks to pay her way.

Steve looked at her for a moment, not understanding. "Well, I'd hope you helped with the cleaning and general maintenance of the place, you know keeping things tidy and neat. Maybe cooking somedays if you can, but other than that nothing really different from other…friends living…together". He slowed as it dawned on him what she had ment. He felt offended as it dawned on him yet again that she didn't trust him, yet a moment later the feeling was quilled as hope and happiness filled her eyes. Moments later she flung herself at him, hugging him so tightly it was as though she never wanted to let go. She kissed him over and over, her breaks punctuated by gratitude.

He smiled as he kissed her forehead, holding her in his arms.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello. I know that it has been a long time since I've updated but I have been unbelievably busy. Anyway, amidst a wedding, uni, work, and life I'd lost the motivation to post for a while. But hopefully the spark of creativity is back and I will be updating regularly. I would just like to apologise for the delay and hope that you continue reading and reviewing. It really does warm my heart to see that people are actually interested in this story.

Also, IAMiniquity said that the name Teyadarma was interesting. You won't believe it but I got it from Pirates of the Caribbean. It's not an exact replica of the name used in the film, just my interpretation of what I heard. And the name comes from the Sea Goddess so cool. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter 6

The first few days of Steve and Teya's new living arrangements had been cautious and timid, to say the least. Teya was on edge, jumping at almost everything, whilst Steve was doing everything he could to try and make her feel more comfortable. He discovered on the first morning that Teya was an excellent cook, making him breakfast. He happily, and with no guilt, gobbled the nearly too large portion before him.

They had tried to get comfortable near each other, both trying to go about their lives as unconstructively to the other as possible. It lasted about a week, both bumping into each other on their way out of a room, or driving the other to insanity by leaving the toilet seat up or down.

Oddly enough, it was Tony who helped them learn to get comfortable together. As he looked around the room he noticed the way the two interacted with each other and their surroundings. Sighing he shook his head before announcing that Teyadarma was to move back in with him in Stark tower. The outrage that greeted him was delightful.

"You don't get to say what I can and can't do!" cried Teya. "That's not up to you!" Steve shouted. They stopped, looking at each other briefly before looking down. Tony struggled to hold in his laugh before continuing. "Well, it's obvious that you two aren't comfortable in each other's presence. So, Teyadarma should live with me, and Steve you can have your apartment to yourself", he stated. The triumphant smirk on his face was not boding well with Teya, who was onto him from the start.

Although she loathed to admit it, she did appreciate what Tony was trying to accomplish. By stating the possibility of separation, she and Steve would be forced to acknowledge that they had been acting foolishly by tiptoeing around the other.

"As long as Teya is comfortable, she is welcome to stay for as long as she wants. We are perfectly happy" Steve said, voice clipped. "Alright, fine" Tony replied, spinning on the spot before walking around a little. "It's just that, both of you are acting like the other isn't there. Going around like that isn't the most peaceful way to live, I can tell you. But, if you insist that you're happy with the way things are then by all means, continue stepping around each other". And in true Tony style, he walked out the door, slamming it in the process.

The two stood there in silence, each digesting what had just happened. Sighing, Steve turned to Teya and with a small smile fighting to grace his lips, said "He set that all up so that we would have to talk, didn't he?". With a smile of her own, Teya nodded back.

Shaking his head, Steve took a seat at the table as Teya followed. They sat in silence for a time, the quiet both beautiful and deafening. For Steve, although he craved the simple things in life, he knew in his heart that he would never be able to sit idly as life flew by; he had had enough silence while asleep. He was a fighter and adventurer, and he realised that he was taking the cowards route in that moment.

Inhaling deeply, Steve turned to Teya and blurted out what he'd been swallowing for the last few days. "I like you!" he exclaimed as he she looked a little taken aback. "What I mean is, I like you-, no I like having you around!" he looked desperate. The words were not coming out if his mouth as he wanted, they were tumbling out and dying when they came in contact with the air.

Smiling, Teya took pity on him and placed her hand over his fisted one. He calmed near instantly, however the nervous look didn't escape his beautiful features. Teya couldn't help but wonder when she started becoming completely open to touch, or someone touching her. No, when she was somewhat comfortable with Steve touching her.

"I like you too" she said nervously. Although Teya had always been certain that men found her attractive, she had never felt beautiful. Oh, she knew she was sexy, that she could make a man beg for her to even spare him a second glance. After all, most of her power and troubles had stemmed from a jilted man unable to attain her attention.

Yet despite all the attention, all the proclamations of being able to "make her scream from pleasure and have her begging for more", she never felt beautiful, let alone pretty under a male's gaze. They saw her as an object to be possessed, dominated and consumed. They saw her as a walking vagina, not someone who was capable of thought, cunning, or power. Admittedly she had capitalised on this miscalculation multiple times, earning her a reputation of monster long before she became one.

The way Steve looked at her was completely different. Oh she knew he was dying to fuck her, to possess her in the most primal of fashions; yet there was a tenderness in his gaze that warmed her. She knew that he wanted to protect and care for her, that he wanted to speak to her and have her give him a piece of her mind. He wanted more than sex, more than the physical, which was something no one else had ever humoured. How did she now this? It was through his actions, of course.

The old saying that 'actions speak louder than words' held true. The way he had pulled her behind him when Fury's men attacked, the way he held her as she cried, and how he listened to her when she explained some of the new technology to him was evidence enough that he wanted more than a half decent lay.

The look of peace that crossed his eyes was enough to quench what little fear there was of rejection within her. The smile grew on her lips until she was grinning. He did the same and there they sat, both smiling like fools.

Steve unfisted his hand and slowly closed his hand around Teya's so that they were holding hands. "I just want you to know, I don't ever plan on hurting you or letting anyone ever do the same," he said as he looked her in the eyes. Even if they never went further than this, holding hands and smiling at each other, he knew that he would never stop loving her or trying to protect her.

With tears in her eyes, Teya nodded back. She loved that he was trying to comfort her, reassure her that she was indeed safe with him, that wasn't what she was worried about. She could feel it. The void of darkness, of pure insanity lurking in the back of her mind. It was waiting, biding its time till it could emerge and consume her once again. The pain she experienced when she snapped back from the last incident left her zapped of energy for days. It felt as though a part of her had been ripped out, and that was what scared her most.

The feeling of being somewhat incomplete, of almost being…half of what she was left her wondering what this power meant to her. It was more a curse than anything else, but she was a pragmatic person and knew that it could prove immensely useful when called upon. Although she was fearful of being consumed by the power, she feared powerlessness and the wrath of her enemies more. Or more accurately, she feared not being able to decimate her abusers in the way they deserved. And loath as she was to admit it, this power which she knew was killing her and would be her end was a wildcard, something that tipped the balance and made her the most powerful player in the game. Yet the doubt still lingered.

She knew that she could never be a good person. Because a good person would have left the person they loved to protect them from them self. No, she was a selfish person who would hold onto that love, that person till it destroyed them both.

No she didn't fear what Steve could do to her, rather what she could do to Steve.

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P.s. Before anyone blasts me for the vagina comment, let me explain. Women's sexuality is often seen as powerful and a means for them to bend men to their will. Yet that in and of itself is a misconception and contradiction. It firstly implies that men are nothing more than sex-crazed fools easily manipulated into doing the bidding of any woman who spreads her legs for him. It diminished the intellect of men, which isn't fair to them when feminists have been trying for so long to convey the message that men and women are equal.

Secondly, it denotes that women are fickle and come with an expiry date. Sex is only appealing and can only be wielded as a weapon by the young and beautiful. Despite what people say, not a lot of people want to have sex with a woman in her late 60s or 70s+. Thus, it diminishes women into being nothing more than sex objects. It states that the only value a woman has is through sex and through appearing sexy. it doesn't give women the opportunity to prove themselves powerful through intellect, planning or strategy. Rather it cages women to fit in the patriarchal mold of a subservient, glorified sex toy for men.

Thirdly, women's powers for seduction acts to reinforce the patriarchy as it implies that their bodies are only good for the pleasure of men. And when a woman uses sex to get her way, she uses it to appease a man. Hence, she has no real power, rather the illusion of power.

Sorry for ranting, but this is a really interesting concept and I'm sorry that I haven't done it justice with my shitty rant. But I do plan to explore it further in the coming chapters.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello again! I'm on a bit of a role so the creative spark is lit. Here's another chapter, and I just want to mention that the truly juicy parts of this story are on its way. Now without further delay, enjoy! Don't forget to review.

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Chapter 7

Natasha couldn't help but notice that something was very, very wrong with Steve lately. He was acting oddly and walking a tightrope balanced between confusion, worry, and what appeared to be happiness. Ordinarily seeing one of the few people Natasha considered a friend happy would be a cause of joy rather than concern, however, she noted that this new cocktail of emotions only came into effect when Teyadarma walked into his life.

It shouldn't go without stating that Natasha actually admired and liked Teyadarma; the girl had endured so much and fought through it all. Her resolve and her dedication to enacting her revenge was admirable and Natasha wasn't afraid to admit that she, to some degree, feared the young woman.

Natasha was one of the most fearsome warriors that resided within the establishment of S.H.I.E.L.D. She was dangerous and everyone who took one look at her knew that any miss-step could cost them their life. It was Teyadarma's unassuming and almost innocent appearance that garnered her the fear of the greatest female spy.

However, it was this appearance of security that hid the undeniable beast within. Sure, upon introduction a person's perception of Teyadarma would be limited to the persona of a "good girl", one that was intentionally perpetuated Natasha noted, yet there was a feral creature lurking within. It shone through with her every look, her ever calculating and cold gaze which chilled to the core.

She could destroy a man within seconds. Yet, Natasha couldn't help but wonder if this creature within her had always been present, or if it had emerged through experience and experimentation. It was undeniable that whatever the circumstance of its conception or origin, it had been forged from the suffering and pain of its master. And despite her fear of what was within her, Natasha knew that Teyadarma would always be served by this creature. Its power was so great that she couldn't believe that it wasn't a living entity.

However, it wasn't the struggles of a woman Natasha had only know for a few weeks that were worrying her. Rather it was how it was impacting Steve.

Natasha knew that Steve cared immensely for her, it was evident to anyone who cared to pay attention to them. The way he hovered near her when they were in a room together; the protective stance he occupied whenever anyone new was presented to her; and the way he demanded the others give them their space.

He was a man in love, or very nearly close to it. And ordinarily that would be a joyous occasion, however when said man regularly put his life on the line, it could cost him. The way that he would always worry about her when they were on a mission was disconcerting, not that he had slipped up per se. But even if his attachment to her proved not to impact his ability to work and complete assignments, it would eventually prove deadly. Natasha knew that a non-friendly would undoubtably take notice and use this information to goad Steve into acting irrationally.

And this sentiment wasn't just a solitary notion, others on the team had started to notice the change in Steve. However, nothing has come of it yet.

Unaware of the cautious worry of his team mates Steve flipped through the file of his latest mission. This was the part of his "job" that he disliked most, learning about the lives of the people he was assigned to defeat. Contrary to popular opinion Steve understood the desire to protect yourself and your country, through any means necessary. After all, he is the man who voluntarily subjected himself to scientific experimentation in the pursuit of serving his man and country.

It was as he was studying the face of the leader of his latest misfits that needed straightening that he heard the scream. The piercing sound of the voice, riddled with pain and grief ripped at his heart.

He shot up and ran to Teya's door, opening it in such a rush he almost ripped it off the hinges. Rushing to her bed, he gently started shaking her shoulder. "Teya wake up! Wake up darling, it's just a dream!" he called out as she thrashed about. Her voice, her throaty screams chilling the air around him.

"Get away! Get away from me!" Teya called out as the figure came closer and closer. Mockingly inching his way towards her as his blade was dripping with blood. The darkness surrounding him acted in such a way that it both hid his every move from her and concurrently highlighted it. In the logic that was only logical in the land of the dreaming, this darkness was alive and pulsing. And Teyadarma knew that it was very much alive and thirsting for her blood.

She could hear a voice calling out to her, calling her name. She searched for it through the pulsing black, looked for the face she had come to recognise. Steve she realised was shaking her, trying to pull her back into the land of the living.

Waking with a start, Teya shot up in bed. Steve gave her a little space whilst still keeping contact. In the nearly five weeks that she had been living with him he had noticed that she came back to herself faster when he gave her some physical indication that he was still there.

Panting Teya looked around, desperately trying to identify where she was. As a child, it sometimes took her as long as seven minutes of disorientated confusion before she concluded that it was all in fact a dream. As the years bore on, she got better at figuring out what was real and what wasn't. That was of course before she was kidnapped and tortured beyond imagination, subsequently shattering her grasp on reality.

"It was all a dream" Steve whispered, not wanting to startle her. Gazing into this eyes, Teyadarma tried to determine if he was real. Stretching out her hand to his face she wanted to prove that it was all in her mind. Imagine that what the man was about to do was just a horrible nightmare, that what had happened was all a bad dream.

As her palm came into contact with the slightly stubbly skin of Steve's face, relief washed through her. She was safe and at home with Steve. Nearly overcome, Steve barely had time to ready himself as Teyadarma flung herself at him. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, her face in the crook of his neck she began to cry. Securing an arm under her legs and another around her back Steve stood and walked out of the room.

It had taken some time but Steve had come to realise that being confined within the house truly amplified her claustrophobia. It was upon chance that Steve had stumbled on Teya sitting out on the balcony, watching the stars as she silently cried. When he had come to sit next to her she had reached out to him, holding onto his hand almost as though it was the only thing that was keeping her sane. They had spent the night alternating between talking and sitting in silence. She had baked him a chocolate cake the next day.

He opened the glass door with one hand as he walked out into the night air. Taking a seat, he brought her closer, just as he pressed herself more against him. The desire he had been suppressing ever since he had laid eyes on her tried to make its appearance once again, but he pushed it down once more. It was getting more and more intense to be around her and not push her against the nearest wall. But in that moment, Teya needed him to be there for her, and he knew that he would do and give her anything she needed.

"Is all of this real?" Teya asked him, desperate for validation. Confused Steve nodded. "It's all real Kitten, I'm real" he said in hopes of providing her with some comfort. It hadn't even occurred to him that he had begun calling her kitten, endearments just came naturally to him.

"I'm scared Steve. Every time I close my eyes all I can see are the rooms they kept us in. All I hear are screams." Teya whispered her voice wavering. Pulling back slightly to look Steve gently laid a kiss on her forehead before pulling her tighter against him.

"It gets easier eventually, all the noise and visions. They don't go away, you just get better at dealing with them" Steve said. He didn't want to go too much into the origins of his own demons. He had seen some truly terrible things in war. He had spent decades trapped in a lucid dream, stuck between awake and sleep. He understood the pain that one's own mind could play on oneself.

They sat in silence the rest of the night, each clutching onto each over. Taking from the other what they needed and what they were willing to give. It wasn't until the early hours of the next morning that they headed back inside, lingering before departing to their own rooms.

The temptation to just say fuck it and spend the night with Steve was increasing, but Teya knew she wasn't ready for that. But she could feel that he was chipping away at her heart, little by little bringing down her defences. It was only a matter of time before she knew he would have her loving him. And what struck her most was that she wasn't adverse to that notion, rather the idea that she would be in love with him and he not affected in the least. Now that was something she could not have, so she resolved to change tactic.

It was time for Teya to put into play all her experience with seduction and romance, most of which she had learned from Olivia, and claim the heart of one Steve Rodgers. Because she wasn't going to lose a heart without getting one in return.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Steve was losing his mind, there was no other way to explain it all. He didn't know what else to say. The tension between Teya and himself had been thickening so much that he could have probably cut it with a knife.

Everything about her; her smile when she was watching something that amused her, or when she was teaching him something new about this new world around him; her humming when she cooked; the way she seemed to dance around the house; and especially the way she sang when she was doing pretty much anything. Everything about her called to him, and it was getting harder and harder to control his attraction to her and behave like a gentleman.

On many occasions, he had to hurriedly excuse himself from the room when she sat next to him on the couch and leaned against him. Or when she would walk around the house in a dressing robe. And Steve knew that his excuses were ridiculous, after all running to use the bathroom right after walking out of it doesn't seem to be the brightest idea.

All he knew was that he could soon crack, and typically embarrassing himself. He couldn't explain it, the attraction and desire he had for her. Sure he had desired quite a few dames in his time, but he had never felt so deeply for them. He couldn't stand her being upset, couldn't fathom the idea of her being with another man, yet he knew that if it made her happy he would stand aside. Her happiness was central to his attraction to her. And he knew that what he felt for her was more that simple attraction; it was like…love. Although he wasn't ready to admit that to himself, or anyone else.

Whilst Steve was having an existential crisis, Teya was also near losing her cool. She had tried everything, everything she could think of to show Steve that she was interested. Ever since her epiphany two weeks ago, she had upped the ante and started to try and flirt with Steve. This had proved almost immediately useless as he had clammed up and escaped the room.

So, she changed tactic. Instead of aggressively going after her man, she resolved to adopt a more passive approach. Essentially it involved leaving a lot of hints and hoping that he took the bait. And she was ready to admit that she wasn't a patient woman by any account.

Frustrated she picked up the phone and stared at it. She hadn't realised until then that she had no one to call. It was like a punch to the face, hard and cold. She was alone, no one to call or speak to. Ordinarily she would turn to Olivia, but she was gone. She had never really been a social butterfly thus she had never really made any friends.

Fury raged within her, blinding her to her surroundings. Picking up the phone she threw it across the room. It hit the wall and shattered, just like her life she couldn't help but feel. Steve upon hearing the bang felt his heart constrict. Running out of his room, barely dressed following a session at the gym, out into the living room. His shield in his hand and looking around the room for any threat to Teya, but all he saw was Teya staring at the wall unmoving. Relaxing some he slowly inched his way towards Teya, not wanting to startle her.

As he came to stand before her, he inhaled a breath. Her normally beautiful and expressive hazel eyes were glowing a deep emerald, pulsing with life. Her panting form raising red flags within his mind as he tried to bring her down from her rage induced state. As he brought his hands up to cradle her face, her attention snapped to him and he paused. The pain beneath her eyes brought him up short.

"Kitten what happened?" Steve asked apprehensively. She stared at him blankly, her expression stony. "It's alright, it's going to be okay," Steve said as soothingly as he could. It was then that she stiffened under his embrace. Glaring into his eyes, she spat out with such coldness and bite in her voice he was momentarily taken aback, that it would never be alright.

"It's going to be alright? Is it now?" her words dripping with sarcasm and loathing. Not knowing what to do Steve just stared at her as she continued. "I have no one, no one to call or rely on and I'm supposed to pretend that it's alright? I can't even make a phone call to someone to ask for help or advice, but I shouldn't worry because it's all going to be fucking sunshine and daisies, right?".

Steve couldn't help but feel hurt that she was attacking him. He had only tried to help her, only wanted to sooth her. He was about to respond with a sharp remark when her words sunk in. She wasn't mad at him, not really. She felt alone and isolated; the people that she had loved and held dear were presumably all dead, and she felt lonely and vulnerable. This wasn't a lashing out against him, but a cry against her solitude. She felt alone and she was scared, despite her aggressive manner.

Taking in a deep breath, Steve pulled her into a tight hug. She stiffened and he feared that she would push him back but she stayed still, almost as though she didn't know what to do. "I know you're scared. I know you feel alone, open to attack, I've been there. But you need to understand that I'm here for you. I am with you, and I will fight with you and for you. You have me" he said.

Pulling back slightly he looked her in the eyes, surprise and doubt swimming in them. "You have me, always" he repeated. He didn't know what came over him but the urge to kiss her was unbearable. Leaning in he pressed his lips against hers before he even knew what was happening. Both Teya and he were shocked, pulling back quickly Steve let Teya go as though touching her burned him.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't- that wasn't-" he stuttered. Teya placed her hand over his mouth and, with hope in her eyes and brimming tears she whispered out, voice thick and choked "Did you mean it? You are with me?". The panic in Steve subsided as he nodded his head, desperate for her to realise that he was serious in his declaration.

Smiling Teya withdrew her hand and pulled Steve in for a kiss. He was stunned, put simply. He had been denying himself the feel of her against him and now he was wondering why he had even bothered. Kissing her back with a ferocity he lost himself in the moment.

As they continued to make out in the living room, both clumsily trying to move around the room whilst trying not to separate their lips, they didn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching the door, nor did they observe the figure inching his way towards the window. So consumed were they in each other's presence that they didn't realise that they were under attack until it was too late.

The door burst open as dozens of men in black gear and guns ran in, just as the window shattered from the impact of a body breaking through it. As they broke apart, Steve pushing Teya behind him whilst he grabbed her hand, they were surrounded. His eyes falling onto his shield meters away, Steve couldn't help but want to slap himself.

They all stood sill for a moment, waiting to see who would pull the first move. Evidently it was the intruders, who at once charged at them. Steve fought as many as he could but his attention was on trying to protect Teya, who herself was fighting off many attackers.

In a bizarre way, it was mesmerising watching Teya fight. She fought like a wild animal, except there was a cold precision in her movements. Each punch, each kick deliberate. He watched out for her as she was encircled by two men, both coming at her at once, as she punched the one before her whilst using his momentum to bring up both her legs behind her as she locked her legs around the neck of the one behind her. He watched as she squeezed her legs, choking the man as she manoeuvred the second man so that his arms were pulled behind him. He watched as she broke both his arms with nothing more than a blink.

It felt as though a river was falling over them. No matter how many they fought more kept coming. They kept it up for what felt like hours, and as much as she hated to admit it, Teya hadn't healed enough for this much physical exertion. It was as she managed to grab a knife from one of her attackers that she felt the stab. It was small and brought her up short. Within seconds, she was seeing black spots dot her vision.

The last thing she heard was a ferocious cry from Steve as he barrelled his way towards her, pushing men out of his way. Steve rushed to her, despair filling his stomach as he prayed that it wasn't a bullet. As he tried to check if she was still breathing he felt a prick. He knew that it was bad, that this was a dangerous concoction, as he felt weakened within 5 seconds, and passed out by 8. His superhuman abilities afforded him the ability to withstand many tranquilizers, and for this to work so effectively he knew that if the same drug had been used on Teya that she would be near death.

The last thing on his mind before he scrummed to the darkness, was that he had failed in protecting his girl. He had failed his Kitten when she needed him.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello, everyone. I want to jump right into it as this is a long one. Firstly, I don't own anything, just Teyadarma. Secondly, this is a really hard read. To be honest I'm a bit surprised that I could even write it. I just wanted to warn you that this isn't a happy chapter. Shit gets really, really real. It's confronting, and I want it to be so. In my mind, this chapter needs to be graphic and horrific because this is Teya's reality. And unfortunately, it's the reality of so many other kids. So trigger warning. Anyway, please let me know what you think. I don't mean to offend anyone and there is only so much I can write. Please forgive me for my writing, unfortunately, I'm not too great at it.

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Chapter 9

Teya awoke to bright lights and a mattress that had seen better days beneath her. She could still feel the pounding in her head and her every breath caused the pain to flare. Blinking a couple of times she slowly tried to sit up.

It was like the whole room was swaying and moving at a thousand miles an hour. Swallowing back vomit Teya sat still as she waited for the spinning feeling to fade. Finally, after five minutes she deemed herself well enough to get up and explore her cell.

The first thing she noticed was the ceiling, rather the plethora of metal tubing that was comprising it. There were all kinds of tubes running along exposed metal beams that seemed to be, themselves comprised of tubes and piping. Secondly, she noted the double panel mirrors that made up the walls. She took into account that they didn't look like the ones usually used in police stations, rather they seemed to be thicker, more durable, and from what she could tell the opaqueness could be controlled.

Foreboding blossomed within her and she couldn't help but worry about what was to happen. She could feel the fear seeping into her bloodstream as she tried to decipher who took her. Terror gripped her like iron shackles around her throat and heart at the realisation that Steve may be in trouble also. With a renewed sense of desperation and caution, Teya observed her surroundings, taking in all that she could and trying to come up with as many contingency plans as she could. she had to get out. She had to find Steve.

After what felt like decades, Steve came to. His head was aching and he could barely breathe. 'They must have done a number one me' he thought as he tried to remember what had happened. Gradually, slowly it all started coming back to him. Teya's breakdown, their kiss…the attack. Rage pulsed through him like a caged beast as he recalled seeing her drop to the floor.

Snapping his eyes open, Steve blinked through the pain and sat up. He felt queasy and almost fell back onto the bed. Almost. Looking around he took in his surroundings, the enraged beast within raking his claws through the bars of his cage towards his captures when it dawned on him where he was. Picking up his shield, which was laid out on the floor at the end of his bed, he barrelled through the door.

Trying to navigate his way towards where he assumed they were holding Teya, Steve could feel the beastly rage growing. The need for blood, for revenge, was insatiable. It took all it had in him not to kill every person he saw, to enact his revenge on those around him.

Locating the top of a large cylindrical glass cage, Steve let out an animalistic growl as he rushed towards it. Coming upon large iron doors, he didn't so much as pause as he propped his shield infant of him. With the speed that he was travelling, he hoped that he would be able to break through the doors. When he was halfway to the door, something within him changed. It was as though something clicked into place and it was then that he knew. He knew that on the other side of those doors, his Teya, his kitten was waiting for him. With this newfound reassurance, he placed all his strength into the impending impact.

When the shield came into contact with the doors, there was a moment of doubt. For the longest second, it seemed as though the doors would hold, that he would yet again fail to help his girl. When the doors broke apart, damn near coming off their hinges due to the sheer impact.

Coming to a stop Steve saw the tall glass cage, and standing within it was Teya. She was banging on the glass and screaming. The relief he felt was short lived as he realised that there was no opening. He had no idea how to get her out. Running up to the glass he placed his hands over where Teya had hers pressed. He just looked at her, assessing any damage. To his relief, there didn't appear to be any.

He looked around the interior of the glass prison, hoping to see anything that could help him figure out how to get her out of there. He kept coming up short, couldn't find anything that might help her. It was then that they heard a voice address them through the speakers.

"Welcome, Cap. Sorry for all this, but you left me with no choice" Fury's voice projected around the room. Steve's rage inched up further and further. The man who he once considered an ally, friend even, was the one trying to hurt his kitten.

"Let her go, Fury!" Steve yelled. Spotting the room from which Fury was speaking his eyes fell on the faces of his colleagues. Natasha, Bruce, Clint, and Tony. Tony's face was red, anyone could see that he was furious, insane even. Two men in black gear were holding him back, his body struggling to try and stop Fury. Natasha and Clint were standing expressionless, but Steve could make out the fear in Nat's face. It was enough indication that what Fury had planned wasn't going to be pretty. Bruce looked as though he wanted to be anywhere else but there, his eyes desperately trying to convey his regret.

Steve and Teya could hear Tony's desperate screams in the background. His threats, bargains, everything and anything he could say to get Fury to let her go. "You sick son of a bitch, let her go!" he shouted. Teya couldn't see him from her vantage point, the ceiling of the cell obscuring her view. The pain she felt at hearing her father's voice, of knowing that it was his invention that was being used against her was not something she was prepared for. She couldn't help but feel as though he was letting her down, betraying her. She wasn't oblivious, she knew what Fury was trying to do. He was going to torture her, mentally and emotionally until she was taken over again. Until the insanity, the darkness that she kept barely under control was free and consuming her once again.

"I'm sorry Captain, but we need to know what she can do, what she's capable of. You wouldn't cooperate, so I had to take matters into my own hands. Start the simulation!"

Teya's heart was pumping, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she tried to prepare herself for what was to come. Steve's threats and his attack on the glass faded into the background as smoke started to fill the cell. It slowly started to seep into her lungs, but instead of suffocating her in the way that smoke usually would, this lulled her into a lucid state. She felt as though she was asleep and awake, hovering above her body yet confined within it. It was like dreaming, where the boundaries of physics and rationality didn't apply.

It started slowly, leisurely almost. The room began to fade ever so slightly. Steve was no longer clearly visible, his body fading away as Teya was surrounded by the confines of what was taking the shape of her first foster home. Fear gripped her as more and more of the details began to colour her vision. Looking around, the room was the exact same. The moonlight shining through the open second-floor window setting the room in an eerie glow; the chilly wind fluttering the curtains as it chilled Teya to her bones. Frantically looking around, hoping against hope that it wasn't true, that this wasn't a replica of that night, Teyadarma tentatively looked down.

A sob escaped her as she was forced back into her six-year-old body, dressed in a frilly pink dress. The top was tight, puffed shoulders and lace decorating the bodice. The skirt was also puffed, volumising the hips and giving her boyish body some curve. It ended just above her knees, making her look like a precious little doll. It was like she was trapped in herself, unable to dictate her movements beyond what she had done previously in her memories. It dawned on her then that this was exactly Fury's intent. She was being forced to relive her memories, all her memories that contributed to the making of her curse, her power.

She heard the stairs creak, and the fear gripping her prompted her to run to the door. Her little fingers locking the door and pushing the trunk in front of it. Stepping back, she started to hyperventilate, when the knob started to jimmy, she dove for the bed. Crawling under it, she scooted her body as far as she could to the corner as she could, pressing her back against the wall, hoping against hope that she could melt into the wall.

Her breathing came out sharp as she heard the door give, the screech of wood against wood as the trunk was pushed back with the door. Covering her mouth with her hand, trying to make herself invisible she saw two black boots step into the room. They walked over to her window and paused, she could hear him close the window, trapping her in completely.

The boots turned, walking over to her bookshelf where they again stopped. "Darma, sweetie, come out, come out wherever you are" came the voice. She pushed both her palms over her mouth, desperately trying to obscure the sob that would give away where she was.

The book shelf rattled as it was pushed back into the wall. The porcelain dolls shaking, her favourite one falling to the floor. Its beautiful white dress with red trimmings bunching as the face cracked across the forehead. Her blue eyes staring at Teyadarma as the man brought his book down over it, shattering the delicate white porcelain.

"Where are you!" shouted the man. Trying hard to make as little noise as possible, Teyadarma held her breath. With a sigh the man started to walk over to the door, his boots leading him out of the room, and away from her.

The hope blossoming within her shattered just as her dolly when he stopped. letting out a laugh, the man began to walk over to the bed. Tears fell from her eyes as she knew he was going to get her.

Steve watched in horror, as his Teya his under her bed, shaking with fear. The hope he had of her being safe faded as the man; smartly dressed in tan slacks, a dark blue dress shirt and glasses walked back over to the bed. The bed that a five or six-year-old Teya was hiding under. Panic gripped him as the man started to laugh.

Bending down slightly, the man whose skin appeared greyish due to the moonlight got onto all fours. Tilting his head so as to look as Teya a predatory smile grew on his face. "There you are! What are you doing under the bed? You know I don't like it when you try to hide from me".

Without warning, he stuck out his arm and grabbed hold of Teya's leg. Pulling her out from her hiding spot, kicking and screaming he dragged her to the middle of the room. Steve, Tony, Natasha, Clint and Bruce all watched in horror as the man began to beat Teya. Her little arms coming up to protect her head, her legs kicking against the body over her.

Tony ran out from the control room, wanting to get closer to Teya. Steve was trying to break the glass with his shield, screaming but it was no use. Tony knew this, after all, he had designed the glass hell himself. He knew that nothing could break that glass, nothing short of a hulk out could. Rationally, logically he knew all this. But that was his daughter in there, his little girl that he never got to know, who was being hurt. He had to try to do something. anything to try and get her out.

Running through the doors Steve had broken he ran to the glass, yelling for Teya to look at him. But it was no use. She was trapped in her memories, memories that he could have prevented had he been present in her life.

"Daddy was going to give you a surprise today, but since you decide to be a bad girl I guess I'll have to punish you. You know what happens to bad girls" the man said as he dragged a young Teya by her hair to the bed.

She could barely breathe, the weight of her foster father pressing down on her. She cried, screamed and called for help as he started to push her dress up. The dress that he had chosen for her to wear. Trying to get him off her Teya scratched and beat her fists against him, but he was too big.

With one hand he grabbed both her hands and forced them above her head. She withered around trying to get loose, trying with all her might to get away. His right hand went further up her skirt and under her underwear. His hands were touching her, hurting her and she cried. Her wails shook her body.

It went on for what felt like hours. Really, Teya knew that she should be used to it by now. He did this often enough. Beating her, touching her where she didn't want it, where he hurt her, then giving her presents. She knew that for a six-year-old she was smart. She knew that he was telling her with every present he got her that she wasn't allowed to tell anyone.

Her skin was raw and every time he pressed on it, it hurt. She had long since stopped trying to fight him. All it did was make the hand around her wrists tighten. She tried to go into her mind. Tried to get away from it, from him but it was no use. He kept going and she kept crying, screaming.

Tony was crying as he hauled an ammo box at the glass. He was watching his daughter, his little girl hurting before him. Her cried were a knife to his heart. Watching her be abused, molested was unbearable. He would have gladly taken any physical beating to this. Steve was lost. He was trying as hard as he could to get to her. To get his little angel away from that man. All he wanted to do was kill him. Rip off his arms and skin him. No torture he could think of was enough. No pain in the world would be enough to settle the blood lust within him.

Finally, he stopped. the man, who they all presumed to be her foster father claimed off her. He stepped back, an erection evident through his pants. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a lolly. Teya was lying exhausted on the bed, staring into space. He pressed it into her hand and placed a kiss on her forehead. "That was a good girl. Go to sleep now, okay Sweetie". He walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Teya laid there for a while longer. She slowly began to sit up. Her whimpers and moans of pain the only sound in the room. Slowly, slowly she got up onto unsteady feet. Holding onto the bed for support as he walked over to her trunk, she groaned as she got onto her knees and opened it. Pulling out a shoe box she placed the lolly into it, the array of sweets and small trinkets letting out a crackle as the lolly made contact with the other candy wrappers.

Putting the lid back on the box, and placing it back into the trunk she crawled over to her bed. Grabbing her pillow and a small bed throw, she crawled back under the bed. Putting her pillow under her head she brought the throw over her shivering body. they all knew that she wasn't shivering from the cold. It was with sobs that she closed her eyes.

The smoke again made an appearance as the room started to morph. The room around a curled up Teya began to fade. After a minute or so it returned to its original state. All that was left was Teyadarma curled up on the floor.

Steve prayed that this would be the end. that Fury would end it here and let her out. He couldn't see her in more pain than this. It was too much. The woman he loved the strong, smart woman that had captured his heart was reduced to a crumpled heap on the floor.

Tony was on his knees, hands pressed against the glass. Tears were staked across his face. he felt sick. it took all he had in him to not vomit on the floor.

A disorientated Teya began to rise, she looked around the room with wide eyes. Making eye contact with Tony, then Steve. The look of fear and pain was crippling. When they all hoped that it would be done. That she would be let out, the smoke again began to transform. Again manifesting objects that Teya looked at with horrified eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

Okay, again this is a very disturbing chapter. The content is intense and vile. I just wanted to warn you. I'm updating regularly at the moment but this will soon change as I have Uni and work. I hope to finish this story soon, so keep posted. As always, unfortunately, I don't own anything except Teyadarma. Please read and review.

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Steve had seen war, death, suffering, and pain. He had lived through the depression, seen poverty and been alone. He knew what it was like to feel alone, to be seen as someone not important. He knew all this,he'd lived all this.

But the things he saw through this machine, the things that his Teya, his darling kitten had lived through were unimagined. Even in all of his most vivid nightmares, he could have never fathomed the horrors that comprised Teya's childhood. The evil of HYDRA was rivalled by the evil that tormented and tortured Teya.

Memory after memory was shown. Tony was sobbing as he tried fruitlessly to break open the glass. To try and save his daughter from having to relive what had happened. He had promised that he would never hurt his children, neglect them or torment them in the way his parents had him. It was in that moment that he realised that he had done worse than his dear mother and father.

Teya was currently chained to a dirty wall; the exposed brickwork scratching her skin and rubbing away at its layers. The bloodstained shackles that suspended her arms above her head were pulling at her wrists, making them feel as though they were slowly being ripped off. Her body slamming into the wall repeatedly as Mr. Simonson's fists came down on her prepubescent torso and chest not helping matters.

Each landing of his fist drew a moan, she had long since given up on keeping quiet. She was near naked, her modesty only preserved by her underwear and a ripped tank top. Her body and face bleeding profusely. Drawing in a staggered breath, she tried to take inventory of what was damaged.

Mr. Simonson had been going at it for at least three hours; he was just as breathless as she was. Her left eye was swollen shut, a cut above her brow seeping blood. She suspected that he had fractured two, maybe three ribs on her right, and broken one on her left. She had bruises and cuts all over her body, and a deep cut just under her diaphragm.

She was in bad shape, her arms throbbing from the lack of blood flow to them. Letting her head fall back she prayed that she didn't lose consciousness. She wanted to remember all of this, remember his every touch so that when the time came for her revenge, she would know exactly what to do.

The cellar, where he executed all his "punishments" was cold, damp and stuffy. The air was stale and smelled of misery. The lingering smell of urine and vomit clogging her nose, with each painful breath. There were blood stains all over the walls, to her tired and painfully mind, it created a miserable painting. A collage of suffering, of innocence lost.

Teya knew what he planned to do. He was going to play with her, make her suffer immense pain then offer her some respite by tricking her into fucking him. Of course, he would work it better, though taking into consideration who it was she didn't really think he was capable of it anyway. He would beat her until she accepted his offer to have sex with him. He was trying to make her responsible for her own pain.

Olivia had told her that it wouldn't be her fault when she first told her what she knew was going to happen. She said that, even though he had made it appear as though she had a choice, she didn't and it would still be rape. It was an admission of content through coercion. It didn't count and never would. It had comforted her then, as it was now.

Three hours in, Mr. Simonson was surprised that she was holding on so well. She hadn't pissed or shit herself one, plus she had only just started screaming in the last half hour. He was impressed, and he was having so much fun. All the others never lasted this long, begging for him to stop and let them go. Her resolve to stay quiet was impressive, if not annoying.

"Ya know, I can make this all go away. I can make it all stop. All you need to do is say yes" he said, trying to put on a comforting, soft voice. Teya stared at him as he neared, reaching out his hand to stroke her face. His hand moved from stroking her cheek to cupping it as his thumb moved over her lips.

She didn't know where it came from, but she didn't resist as she opened her mouth and slammed her teeth over his thumb. Biting down as hard as she could, she met a moment of resistance as she felt a hard pressure until she broke through the bone. He screamed and jerked his hand away as she ripped off his thumb.

Spitting out the severed thumb she almost gagged from the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth. Mr. Simonson screamed as he cradled his bleeding hand to his chest. Rage bubbled within him as he brought his fist down on her face, wanting to make her pay for disfiguring him.

He stepped back, expecting to see her unconscious or crying. But she wasn't. She was smiling, her ripped and chapped lips caked with her own dried blood and his, grilling down her chin. She laughed a childlike giggle that made his skin crawl. For a moment, a brief moment, so quick he thought that he had imagined it, her eyes changed. Glowed black as they came to life, her body arching and rearing back. An unearthly howl eruption from her throat.

He stood still as she slumped back, head hanging forward. He didn't know what to do.

Natasha stared at Teya, who in this memory looked to be about eleven or twelve. Her thin, boyish body that was only just starting to develop some feminine curve. She took in the way that her body looked, slumped and chained. Suspended above the dirt covered ground.

Her suspicions had been right; the creature that took over had been with Teya for a very long time. It didn't appear to be present during her early childhood; the image of a five-year-old girl terrified and alone, molested by a man in his late thirties, disgusting her and proving that this power either hadn't developed until her early teens or hadn't been within her until her pain had created it inside her.

It was with sick satisfaction that they watched Teya bite off that monsters hand. Natasha feeling a swell of pride that even though she was at a physical disadvantage, she had fought back.

The rage that had dimmed slightly with the punch to her face rose again as Simonson took a step back. Pulling at his belt buckle, he began to undo it. The smile on Teya's face vanished as fear took hold. "No!" she shouted, shaking her head. Desperation in her voice she repeated over and over 'no'.

"No!" she screamed as he dropped his pants to the floor. "No! No, don't!" she screamed as he pulled down his boxers, his penis coming into view. "No! Please, No!" she cried as he started to walk towards her. She cried, thrashed about trying to kick her legs in an attempt at stopping him.

Ripping her underwear down her trembling legs, he pulled her close to himself. Steve doubled his efforts at trying to break the glass, trying to get her free. Tony fell to the floor, knees buckling beneath him as his daughter was about to be raped.

Natasha and Clint held back tears as they stood next to a motionless Nick. Never had it occurred to him that all this pain could be experienced and that he would be forcing her to relive it.

It came as a shock when a young woman came up behind the man and hit him in the back of the head. He fell to his knees, dazed as she brought a place of wood down on him twice more.

Olivia, upon seeing him on the floor got to work trying to undo Teya's chains. The poor girl had been down here too long, so long that she had worried that he had killed her. Trying to get her down, she grabbed Teya's legs and lifted her up enough for her shackles to unhook. They fell to the floor, Teya unable to support her own weight and Olivia having been hit in the back of the head by the same piece of wood she used to stop Simonson.

Pushing him back, Olivia tried to find something to protect herself, but all the weapons were near her attacker. Simonson, having landed on a tray of knives picked one up and lunged at the two girls.

Olivia tried to hold him off, Teya gripping the walls to stand as she leant helplessly. She saw what he was going to do, Olivia too distracted to notice. Pushing herself at them, Teya tried to push Olivia out of the way, just as Simonson plunged the knife into her stomach.

Gasping, blood filling her mouth, Teya clutched onto Simonson's shoulders. He pulled the knife out only to plunge it in again, lower into her torso. The shock unable to block the pain, Teya let out a blood-curdling scream, as she for a third time plunged the knife into her abdomen.

Olivia grabbed the nearest thing she could, a small axe and brought it down into his back. He left go of Teya, who he'd been holding up as he'd been stabbing her and arched. Trying to reach behind him to pull out the axe, Olivia beat him to it. Ripping it out, he collapsed onto his knees. Before he could move further, she brought the axe down again into the back of his skull.

The life drained from his eyes as she stood panting. Olivia's attention was drawn away from the dead body by a groan. Her attention snapping back to Teya, she rushed over to her and tried to stop the bleeding coming from the multiple stab wounds.

Once again, smoke began to fill the glass room as Teya laid on the floor, clutching her stomach. Coming back to reality, Teya slowly began to realise where she was. Her eyes again locating Steve's.

Natasha couldn't watch anymore. It was one thing to torture people who had harmed other, extract information from them when needed, but it was another to torture a young woman for no other reason than to see what she could do.

Pulling out her gun she pointed it to the back of Nick's head. Clint taking heed, drew his bow, aiming at the guards in the room. Tension filled the room as no one moved. "Enough! Let her go. You aren't going to find anything" Natasha said. Fury stood still for another moment before he nodded.

"Stand down" he commanded the guards, who immediately lowered their weapons. Clint and Natasha, although lowering their own, didn't put them away as the guards had. Fury pressed the release button watched with bated breath as the glass unlocked and slowly began to rise.

Steve moved back only long enough for the glass to rise enough for him to slip under. He ran to Teya, who was laid on the floor panting. Gathering her in his arms she held her. Rocking her back and forth as he tried to draw her back into reality.

He was unprepared for when she opened her eyes, eyes completely black. Gasping he almost dropped his arms from around her, shocked to see the normally hazel eyes he loved gone. She looked at him, staring into his eyes as he stared back. They heard shouting as Tony and Fury fought, Fury trying to see what she had become, Tony trying to kill Fury.

Tilting her head just so, Teya blinked. The black dimmed some, but still dominated her eyes. "She's sick, and she won't let us fix her. You need to get her to let us help or she will die". The words left Teya's mouth but were not from her voice. It sounded as though multiple voices were whispering, bouncing together to project a single message, to become one voice.

Swallowing, Steve asked in concern "What do you mean she's sick?"

"Mistress is sick from within. It is small now, but soon it shall spread and we shall be unable to heal her. You must convince her to let us help".

"Why should I trust you?" Steve countered. Even though it appeared to be his Teya, he knew that this was something completely different, something that was not his kitten. Though, the way this creature was looking at him was similar to the way Teya looked at him.

"You can trust us, we only wish to serve our mistress. But she is resisting. We would never wish to hurt her. And we would never lie to you, mate" the voice said with finality. Teya's eyes slammed shut as she screamed, her chest arching up, then dropping back.

Steve was immobile, the words spoken by this…creature within Teya, no a part of Teya, swimming around his mind. The words 'sick' and 'mate' stood out the most, but it was all secondary to the worry Steve was facing as Teya didn't open her eyes.

"Teya! Teya, open your eyes!" he called as he shook her slightly. He shook her again and again to no avail. Despair gripped him as he held her tighter, trying to get her to open her eyes once more. Five terrifying minutes later, with one last desperate shout for her to open he eyes, Teyadarma's eyes began to flicker open.

Drowsily looking around, Steve and Teya's eyes met. All the noise around them, the people, everything faded as they basked in each other's presence. Smiling, Steve fought back tears as he leaned down and laid a kiss on Teya's head. Pressing his forehead against hers, he let go of the worry he felt and just enjoy the moment.

It didn't register to either of them that he had been repeating the word mate, over and over. All they knew and cared about was being in each other's arms. Making sure that the other was safe. Reality was pressing down on them, but it could wait a few moments. Just until they were sure that they were safe and together.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

There was a tension that came over the team after the young couple and Tony left the hellicarrier. A sense of unease, disappointment and distrust. No one had anticipated the horrors that lurked in Teyadarma's mind, all the pain and suffering. Of course, some of the abuse had been obvious from the onset, her behaviour and attitudes to the team eluding the truth, yet none of them had truly anticipated or prepared for the sheer brutality that she had endured.

Tortured, abused, molested, neglected…the list could go on. It was deeply shameful to realise that no matter what kind of monsters arose attempting to destroy the world, the true monsters were always humans. Humans destroying one another, preying on the weak and vulnerable. Humans commenting acts of evil that were incomparable, even to the like of Loki.

Steve hadn't let anyone near Teyadarma since the horror show, that was nearly a week ago. The easy trust that they had previously seemed to vanish, the sheer weight of his disappointment and distrust preventing many of them to even look at him. His normally carefree attitude was gone. His general disregard for what was done to him previously gone. In its place was a barrier, a wall of resentment that felt deserved. He hadn't said it outright, but they all knew what he was thinking. They could have intervened, they could have stopped this earlier.

Even Tony was no longer as approachable. He wasn't the easiest person to get along with to start with, but the familiarity and trust he had for his team was also gone. The seeds of resentment, even hatred, had been planted. Bruce was feeling the brunt of that barrier the most.

None of them knew what to do, how to make it up to them. The comradeship that founded their friendships and the comfort that allowed for their living together was pulled away from them. It felt as though they were walking on glass shards, piece by piece ripping away and piercing their team.

…..

Steve couldn't handle being away from Teya. He knew that he must have been grating at her nerves, frustrating her, but he couldn't help it. It felt as if he looked away, even for a moment then she would be taken away from him again.

For the most part, Teya didn't seem to notice or care. She was in this functioning comatose state, present but not really there. She would lie in bed almost all day, eating nothing until Steve had to force it down her throat. She wouldn't sleep, not until she physically couldn't stay away anymore. Then she would wake screaming bloody murder, recalling all the horrors that she was again forced to endure. It normally took Steve an hour to calm her down enough to stop thrashing around, trying to escape captures that had long since torn into her body and mind.

Put simply, it was killing Steve. His Teya, his kitten was even worse off that when she first came to him. He couldn't take seeing her like this. He was watching her mind slowly kill her, weakening her in its attempts to deal with the pain. This coupled with the message from the other… beings within her made Steve stress more.

Admittedly, the only possible good that came from this hellish experience was the slight improvement in Teyadarma and Tony's relationship. Following Steve home as he carried Teya's body off the carrier to Stark building to have Bruce look over her again, he too had rarely left her side. Even when Steve had been given the all clear to take her home by Bruce, who wasn't able to look either of them in the eye, Tony followed them to Steve's apartment.

Neither of them had addressed it, but Tony took to sleeping in Teya's room as she spent her wakeful and sleeping hours in Steve's room. His presence and his smell seeming to be the only thing keeping her in a calm-like state. During the day he would spend his hours on his laptop, looking into his daughter's records and files, trying to find out who was responsible for her hell. When he had located the monster that molested his six-year-old daughter, it had taken physical restraint by Steve to keep him from killing the bastard. Even then, it was only so that he too could join in on the fun of beating the monster to a pulp, but that wasn't something he could do at the moment and Steve didn't want Tony to do it all himself.

Teya had taken to his presence cautiously. The first two days she had cried and screamed, holding onto the band of her pants, with him even in the room. With Steve's insistence and reassurance a truce of sorts had been drawn. She no longer screamed so long as he was always at the end of the room, and she had a clear route to the door. It was slow going, but it was progress.

Steve was sitting in the kitchen, having a mug of coffee while he leant against the counter. Teya had just fallen asleep and he knew that it would only take a matter of time before she was screaming out in her sleep again. It was as though her mind was punishing her, making her relive her darkest moments, forcing her back into the reality she had only just escaped.

Tony made his way into the kitchen also, dark circles under his eyes, making him appear older than he was. Steve acknowledged his presence with a grunt, trying to concentrate on the rare moment of relative serenity that they were given. It felt as if they were in the eye of the storm, being given a few hours of respite before they were again thrust back into the raging hell. The quiet was appreciated.

Tony poured himself some coffee and stared at Steve. All his actions up to this point proved what he already suspected.

"You love her," he said, his voice neutral, almost as though he was stating a mere fact. To his credit, Steve barely reacted.

"Is it that obvious?"

"As obvious as it gets, pal. For al that it counts, I think that you'll be good for her. She seems to trust you. And even though I don't know her, not really, I think that she loves you too. You're the one she needs" he said, voice dropping as he looked deeper into Steve's eyes.

It went without saying that Tony would kill Steve if he hurt his daughter, he mightn't have been there when she needed it most, but he was here now. And he knew that that was all he could do. And despite the distance that she always required around him, Tony knew that he was making progress with Teyadarma. It was slow, painstakingly slow and cautious but he couldn't ask for anymore. Having seen what he had, he knew that she was making leaps.

She would never truly trust him, it was obvious. She had been hurt so deeply that he knew that she would never really be able to have normal relationships, with anyone. But when he saw her with Steve, he knew that even though they didn't have a normal relationship, they had each other. And for people like them, that was enough. In some ways, Steve and Teyadarma were one and the same. Pulled from the life they should have had and forced to live in another world, be exposed to things that they shouldn't have been. Steve had seen war, something that few of his other teammates could say. And whilst his war had been fought very differently, with different enemies and opponents, Teyadarma had also fought in her own war. Battling against her adversaries, fighting with her own weapons.

Steve was about to respond when he heard the first scream. It was low, short as if it had been cut off by someone, or something. He knew that in a few minutes the screams would be ear piercing and bone chilling. She would call out for her mother, Olivia… and now Steve. It killed him more when she did.

Putting his nearly empty cup down on the counter, Steve rushed to his room. Slipping into the room he made a beeline for the bed. Kneeling down at its side he tried to shake her awake, wanting to pull her out of the dream before it really took hold. Shaking her shoulder gently, he called her name.

"Teya, wake up. Kitten wakeup! It's just a dream, you're safe" he tried. Her screams increased in volume, so deep was she in her hell that she couldn't hear him. Feeling the desperation rise within him he did what came instinctually to him. Throwing caution to the wind, he gathered her in his arms and held her. Holding her arms at her side, he tried to keep her as still as he could. She often clawed at her skin, trying to get rid of phantom hands.

Whispering into her ear over and over that she was safe, that she was dreaming as she tried to wriggle out of his hold seem like the only thing that he could do. It was killing him to see her like this, helpless and hopeless. Slowly she began to come back to reality, pulling herself out of the clutches of the latest monster haunting her.

It took nearly fifteen minutes before she was awake again. They sat in silence for a moment before Steve loosened his arms from around her. It was that that broke the camels back it seemed. She started sobbing, tears streaking down her face as she cried. Not knowing what to do, unsure of what to do, Steve just sat there. Again, it was instinct that told him to try and comfort her.

Turning her around, he held her again. She had never cried like this before. He would wake her, and she would lay there panting after. Eventually, her breathing would calm and she would turn on her side away from him. This was different, she was so vulnerable and he knew that this was the moment that he could help her.

Holding her to his chest he rocked her back and forth as he tried to calm her, tried to reassure her that he was there for her. He wanted her to know that he would do all that he could to protect her. To keep her safe and he would not fail a second time. He desperately needed her to know that.

He softly hummed for her, trying to distract her. Some time later she stopped sobbing, her tears having died out. She just sat there, her hands fisted into Steve's shirt so tightly that her knuckles were white. She looked blankly in front of her before she turned to Steve and said her first words since the hellicarrier.

"I feel dirty. I feel so dirty, and no matter how hard I try I can't get it… them, off me. I can't get them off me" she said, voice quivering. Steve nodded looked down at her eyes, so young and so open. She was young, but she had been through what most didn't their whole lives.

"You know that I will never hurt you, that I will never fail you again, don't you?". She looked at him, still. His heart clenched, his breath stilled. She gave him a small nod. He breathed a sigh of relief, hope blossoming. Nodding his head also he gathered her in his arms and carried her to the joining bathroom. Setting her down on the toilet seat's lid, he knelt at her feet. Her hands still held his shirt, keeping him as close to her as she could.

"Do you trust me? I won't do anything that you don't want. I just thought that you might want a bath" he said. Again she nodded her consent. He too nodded. Getting to his feet, he was about to walk over to the tub before he heard her whimper. Her hands were holding him still and she shook her head, tears brimming at her eyes as she begged him to stay.

Dropping again to his knees he held her face in his hands as he pulled her in for a hug. His mouth near her ears he let her know that he wasn't going anywhere. He was just going to fill the tub. He stayed like that until he felt her hands lessen their hold and he got up. Holding her hand he reached for the taps and began to fill the tub. Walking over to the rack of towels he pulled one from the stack then returned to the tub to turn the taps off, all while still holding her hand. Coming to stand in front of her again, he slowly pulled her to her feet.

He reached the bottom of her shirt, stilling his hands when he felt the fabric between his fingers. Looking into her eyes he waited for her to signal that she was okay. Following her nod he pulled the shirt over her head, keeping his eyes on her face. He pulled her pant off also but decided that it would be best to leave her underwear on. Walking her over to the tub, he helped her in.

When she was seated comfortably, sat in the floor beside her and began to slowly wash her hands and arms. He didn't let his eyes look anywhere but her face and arms, not wanting her to think that he wanted something sexual to come from this act of caring for her. He just wanted to look after her, make her feel safe and wanted, not for her body or beauty (which she had, she was abundantly beautiful) but because of who she was.

It was as he began to wash her hair that tears slipped from her eyes. Never had anyone, any man, touched her so gently… so lovingly. Never had a man's hands been on her skin to simply take care of her, and not fulfil his own desires. She had never felt as loved or cared for.

The instant Steve noticed her tears, he stilled. She turned her head to look at him, and understanding the look of uncertainty he sent her, she again nodded her consent to continue. It wasn't lost on her that he wasn't doing anything without her say so and that he had stopped at the moment she started showing her tears. It was everything that she had ever wished people would do for her. Further proof that he was different, so much better than all the other men in her life.

Pausing a moment more, Steve returned to washing Teya's hair. Its length and weight increasing as it absorbed more water. Its colour deepening also. When he asked her if she wanted to lay back in the water he didn't receive a verbal reply. She simply moved forward enough to lie down so her hair too was submerged. It moved around her, rising and falling in parts as if it were alive. Rippling in the water, the red colour fanning out around her, making it appear as though blood were washing off her body.

They sat like that for a while, Steve running his fingers through the strands of her hair, claiming her with his gentle touch. Teya kept her eyes on him the whole time, not from distrust but from admiration and a deep sense of affinity. She felt that, in that moment, she belonged with him. That she was safe and at peace. It didn't matter that she knew Fury wouldn't let her go, or that the monster inside her was fighting for control. No, in that moment while she stared into his eyes she was completely at peace. No one would hurt her, he would never allow it.

When the water cooled too much for Steve to let her stay in any longer, he gently prompted her up and out of the bathtub. Grabbing the towel, which he had laid down on the sink, he opened it wide enough so that she could walk into it. Wrapping the towel around her, he hooked his arm under her legs and lifted her up and out of the tub, the water splashing as her feet broke the surface tension.

Holding her to his chest, the water from her hair soaking his shirt he carried her out into his room. Placing her on his bed he told her that he was going to grab another towel. Walking to the bathroom rack again, he thought about what he was supposed to do for her clothes. All hers were in her room despite the amount of time she spent in his. Rushing back, he stopped to look at her. She looked much better, he had to admit. Even though her eyes were dark and sunken in from lack of sleep, her skin almost sickly pale and her body folded in on itself. It was like looking at a shadow, no…a shell or skeleton. This person no matter how much it looked like his Teya wasn't her. He swore then that he would do everything he could to get her back to her original state, better even.

Walking back into her line of sight he softly wrapped the towel around her head. Taking a step back he scratched the back of his head. "I don't know what you want to do for clothes? All of yours are in your room, so if you want I could run and grab you something to wear". No sooner had he said it, she lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing for him to not leave her, begging him to not leave her. Not knowing what to do, he wrapped her up in his arms and rocked her back and forth, reassuring her that he would never leave her.

Picking her up, almost like he would a child, he walked over to his dresser and pulled out a shirt and a pair of his boxers. He didn't think that she would be comfortable with him carrying her around the apartment in only wet underclothes and a towel, especially with Tony staying here. Taking her back over to the bed, he slowly pulled off her towel and not knowing what to do, he looked at her desperately. She understood what he was trying to say, but couldn't, so she unclipped her bra and pulled off her underwear. He was bright red and staring intently at her face.

Quickly he pulled the shirt over her hair, which had dried some and the towel having fallen off some time ago. It fell to just above her knees, allowing him to visibly relax. Again, Teya couldn't help but draw a comparison to all the other. He was nothing like them, he didn't stare at her figure or make her feel like a piece of meat. He was uncomfortable with her nudity, and she had an inkling that it was to do with her discomfort.

Pulling the boxers up her legs, Steve took a step back to allow her to adjust the clothes to better fit. They were his and naturally they were too big for her small frame. In a way he liked it, it was almost a form of possession. She belonged to him, and in his clothes, all others would know it too. That wasn't to say that he didn't belong to her, he did. With every fibre of his being, he was truly and utterly hers. They belonged to each other and no one would take that away from them.

Putting the wet clothes in the hamper, he stopped again by the bed. Not knowing what to do, he simply stood there. She was exhausted, the little action she had to do completely draining her of energy. Nodding to himself he put her under the covers, and again on instinct, he laid down beside her.

"Is this okay?"

Turning so that she was facing him, she gave him a small smile before moving closer to him. burying her face in his neck, she nodded before placing a small kiss at the juncture between neck and shoulder. "It's perfect".

They laid like that for almost an hour, both getting comfort from the others embrace. She felt calmer than she ever had, and she knew it had to do with him. She felt stronger too, more than she had in days. After a while, they both started to doze off.

"You never failed me, you know," Teya said, half asleep and voice soft. Steve perked up some, the silence they had disturbed by her words.

"You found me, and you tried so hard to get me out. You didn't stop trying. That's everything" she continued.

Voice thick with emotion, Steve replied. "It wasn't enough to save you from that. I couldn't get you out. I'll never forgive myself for that". All the self-loathing and despair riding to the surface. No matter what Steve blamed himself for what had happened.

"You tried and that's all that matters. I will forever be grateful for that…you did everything you could have" she said as she finally drifted off to sleep. Snuggling further into Steve she slept, unaware of the emotions bubbling within him. Hearing her say that she didn't blame him was euphoric. All the guilt that he had been carrying around with him for being unable to get her out of the glass hellhole was evaporating.

Closing his eyes, he too slowly drifted off. Arms wrapped around his kitten, he knew she was safe and well.


End file.
